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Report: Carey Price wants $3 million from Habs or will go “on strike”

Carey Price

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) replaces teammate Jaroslav Halak in goal dduring the third period of Game 1 of a second-round NHL playoff hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, in Pittsburgh, Friday, April 30, 2010. The Penguins won 6-3. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

AP

After the Montreal Canadiens traded Jaroslav Halak it was assumed that the team’s goaltending future was firmly in the hands of one-time savior Carey Price. Of course, part of the motivation for the Habs to deal Halak was because both he and Price were restricted free agents this year and with Halak’s performance in the playoffs, negotiations were slated to be awfully expensive and difficult. Instead, he went to the Blues in a trade and signed for $3.75 million a year over four years making things nice and neat there.

What about Carey Price? Price was outplayed last season, lost his starting job and now becomes the De facto starter in Montreal because of Halak’s departure. What could his salary demands actually be? If you asked CBC-Montreal reporter Michel Godbout, yyou might be shocked.

EXCLUSIVE: a very very reliable source close to Carey Price says the goalie wants 3 million per or he’s going on strike. Habs listening?

All right, we know how these things go with sources and whatnot, but Godbout is a pretty well established person in Montreal so consider that when you also break out your lucky grain of salt. The wording there is a bit curious as well. “Going on strike,” eh?

Good thing that there aren’t any goaltenders out on the free agent market that recently won a Stanley Cup and are in the prime of their career and are reportedly close to announcing where they’re playing this season.

Oh... Right. Antti Niemi is.

Raising a stink over money, if Price is indeed being a stickler about making $3 million, in the current goaltending climate with a viable option readily available it’s a really poor one because the Canadiens don’t technically need to offer him a contract any time soon if they don’t want to. Granted that makes life more difficult for them and likely makes Price never want to sign there, but that’s how the business works.

Considering how Price’s reputation amongst many Montreal fans has been a bit sullied due to past transgressions, he’d do well to to repair public opinion by not playing hardball with the Habs. Of course, it’s possible that Godbout’s information is poor and Price’s demands are a bit more reasonable, but we roll with what we’ve got in the first place.