I agree with T.C Denault of Habsworld when he states that we shouldn’t bypass Cristobal Huet and anoint a very talented, blue chip prospect like Carey Price as the starting goaltender. Yes, Price will be the starting goalie for the 2008-09 season and possibly could be called up this season for various reasons (injuries, poor performances or a trade of Halak/Huet).
There is always the possibility of Carey Price standing on his head during training camp and forcing Guy Carbonneau’s hand to keep him in Montreal (insert Guillaume Latendresse here) but this would involve Huet or Halak falling on their faces as well (highly unlikely).
There are some who would say that Carey Price has nothing further to prove at the AHL level after winning a Calder Cup. He has definitely impressed everybody by winning the U20 world championship (also being named the tournament MVP), CHL goaltender of the year and an AHL championship (the young man has ice water in his veins). Even with all these accomplishments, Carey Price will only be turning 20 years old on August 16th so to rush his development at such a young age makes no sense and could very well destroy his confidence level. Let’s be realistic here, Price has played only 24 AHL games (2-regular season and 22-playoff games) which will only make him that much better but he needs to play more games at the AHL level.
Like any Habs fan, I want to see Carey Price become the starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens but at what cost to his development or confidence. The Canadiens have two very capable goaltenders in Halak and Huet to play at the NHL level until Carey Price is ready at the end of this season or at the latest, 2008-09 season. Let the young man develop and flourish in Hamilton so that one day he can help the Habs hoist the Cup in the near future.