Talk of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price “going on strike” appear to be a bit premature.
In an interview with RDS, Price’s agent Gerry Johannson says that negotiations between the Canadiens and his client continue to progress, however he admits there is plenty of work to do before a deal can be announced. Johannson told RDS he hopes the next few days can be productive and his client will have a deal in hand, ready to start training camp.
A restricted free agent, Price has been unable to come to terms with the Canadiens on a new contract with one online source reporting that the 23-year old netminder was ready to “go on strike” if he did not receive a deal worth a reported $3 million a year.
While his career save percentage is pretty solid (91.2 percent), he didn’t win many of the 41 games he played in during the 2009-10 season (13-20-5). His career record is much better though, at 60-48-18. Still, many of his career numbers are bolstered by a strong 07-08 campaign. He hasn’t done quite as well the last two seasons.
Those qualms aside, the Montreal Canadiens backed themselves into a negotiating corner with Price when they traded Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues. Even if Halak’s substantial asking price could be cited as a reason for the Habs’ move, it also was a clear sign that the team believes in Price’s pedigree more than his results.
Now that Antti Niemi is almost off the market, the Habs lose even more leverage. At some point, one side is going to blink in this game of bargaining chicken. We’ll pass along the details once (or if) a deal becomes official.