UPDATE 1/8: The NHL has announced that Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy will be Price’s replacement.
The NHL All-Star Game will be without another star player as Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is pulling out of the weekend in San Jose to rest up after overcoming a “nagging injury.”
He’s the second player to announce that they’re staying home to rest following Alex Ovechkin decision last week. And like the Washington Capitals forward, Price will be suspended one game either before or after the All-Star break.
From Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin:
The 31-year-old Price missed Montreal’s final three games of 2018 with a lower-body injury (which also allowed him to spend extra time with his new baby girl and wife). Before that, he said he had been playing through the injury for seven weeks; so you can see why the Canadiens wanted him to not take any chances in the 3-on-3 tournament later this month.
[NHL reveals 2019 All-Star Game rosters]
Shea Weber is the Canadiens’ representative in the Last Men In vote, so if he misses out, and barring any injury replacements, the team will not have a player heading to San Jose for the event.
As the Metropolitan Division looks to name a replacement captain in Ovechkin’s absence, the Atlantic Division now needs another goaltender to join Jimmy Howard on the roster.
Who are the best options? The top three are Andrei Vasilevskiy, Carter Hutton and Jaroslav Halak. Frederik Andersen will be considered for his stellar first half, but he’s been dealing with a groin injury and the Toronto Maple Leafs would sure prefer him to avoid aggravating it in an event that isn’t kind to netminders.
The 2019 NHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place on Friday, Jan. 25 (9 p.m. ET, NBCSN) and the 2019 NHL All-Star Game will be on Saturday, Jan. 26 (8 p.m. ET, NBC).
MORE:
• Backstrom, Kopitar, Laine, Skinner highlight NHL All-Star Last Men In vote
• NHL announces 2019 All-Star game coaches
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.