Trade to come? Kent Hughes may have just placed Carey Price on the trade market
On Wednesday, a day before the first round of the NHL draft, an intriguing piece of information was circulated regarding Carey Price. TSN690's Shaun Starr reported that the star goaltender is doing very well and that the plan is to have him play no more than 50 games next season.
Following this publication, many people questioned the "timing" of these revelations. Was it really the right time to release this news?
Waiting until the day before the draft to release this kind of information is not surprising. It is on these two days that the most trades are made during the year and that historically, the big transactions occur.
By leaking this information, because yes it definitely comes from the CH, Kent Hughes can now start talking to his counterparts about his star goalie. Mentioning that Price could play up to 50 games next season could certainly intrigue some GMs who are looking for a goalie for next season.
The strategy could be similar to what Marc Bergevin did during the expansion draft, which was to leak his goalie's trade. He had then somehow frightened Ron Francis and was able to keep the services of his goalie. Mentioning this Wednesday that Price is healthy could have the opposite effect!
As we all know, in order to receive, you have to give. Many rumors mention that the CH is looking for a second high draft pick. The team that will dance with the CH will definitely want to receive assets and not just draft picks. What if Price is the key to this deal and not Josh Anderson as many seem to believe?
Hughes will have to be creative with this deal if he wants to ensure that he keeps as little of his goalie's salary as possible. It is also assured that Price would not leave alone, as an insurance for his health. So another active player will have to be sacrificed. But let's let Hughes handle it, we are just speculating after all!
If the CH's new GM doesn't trade Price in the next few days, he will at least have started the discussions that could very well conclude at the next trade deadline. For this to happen, Price will have to stay healthy and perform up to expectations. At that point, there is certainly a GM who will want to take the chance to acquire the goaltender in order to make a run at the playoffs. Especially when we know that the CH will have used up almost all of another year of his contract and that he will only have three years left after that. Three years that the salary cap will certainly increase by more than a million dollars on average.
To those who are not happy with the positive news about the 31's health, be patient and trust me!
| POLL | ||
Is Carey Price tradable? | ||
| Yes | 46 | 59.7 % |
| No | 31 | 40.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
