Montreal Canadiens

Carey Price: “I’ve always thought it wasn’t up to me to decide where I’d be traded.”
Michaël Petit
Carey Price: “I’ve always thought it wasn’t up to me to decide where I’d be traded.”
Credit: Capture d'écran | YouTube

As we all know, Carey Price will be officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tomorrow (Monday).

In fact, he was already in Toronto yesterday for the ceremony and to receive his Hall of Fame ring. He took the opportunity to give a few interviews to the media.

His time in Montreal was marked by several memorable moments, but also by remarkable loyalty to the organization.

He mentioned that he has always been loyal, but he also made comments that seem to be a jab at the new trend in the NHL: choosing your destination when you ask to be traded.

“I've always thought it wasn't up to me to decide (where I'd be traded). I've always felt that's where I was meant to be.”

This really seems like a “passive” jab at players in recent years who want to choose where they go, which completely ties the GM's hands when it comes to finding a trade.

I've always been among those who believe that players who have signed a contract with a no-movement clause and who request a trade should, at the same time, waive that clause. That way, they wouldn't be able to choose where they want to go.

The cases of Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck have sparked a lot of discussion since they requested trades, and at first, Larkin had only four teams on his list. He eventually expanded it to 10, but even so, if you ask for a trade, you should give up your choice of destination.

If, for example, it's the team that asks a player to waive his clause, then the player could choose the teams.

In short, Price didn't buy into this new mindset of tying his GM's hands.

In an article by Jonathan Bernier in the Journal de Montréal (which was also published on TVA Sports), you can see the text on his Hall of Fame plaque.

Right from the start, we see that he is a member of the Ulkatcho Indigenous community, and Price made it clear that he is proud of his roots.

He mentioned that it's important to be proud of one's roots.

He also spoke about the speech he prepared for his official induction into the Hall of Fame on Monday. Price noted that it will certainly be an emotional moment and admitted that he might very well have a hard time holding back his tears.

However, he said he's ready for it and believes he'll be able to keep his emotions in check, much as he's done so well throughout his career.

I think all Habs fans—and especially everyone in Price's inner circle—are really looking forward to this moment.

In Brief

– It's been a wild ride.

– Good news for the Sens.

– Great piece.

– Worth reading.