Seattle Kraken considering Canadiens' Price in expansion draft: report

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

TSN and The Athletic’s NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun reported on Sunday that the Seattle Kraken are considering taking Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price in this week’s expansion draft.

It’s a hefty contract to be sure, but I’m told the Seattle Kraken are taking a deep dive internally on whether or not to take Carey Price in the expansion draft. My guess is they don’t in the end, but I do think there’s a better chance of it than I first thought. Intriguing.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 18, 2021

The news that Price would be exposed to the Kraken first came out on Saturday evening. Though Price has been the team’s #1 goaltender for about a decade now, his $10.5 million cap hit through 2026 has opened the door for Jake Allen to take over as the team’s starter if the former Vezina and Hart Trophy winner does indeed leave town.

Price put up a 12-7-6 record in the 2020-21 season to go along with a 2.64 GAA and a .901 save percentage. In the playoffs, Price put up a .924 save percentage, as the Canadiens marched all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.

If the Kraken do select Price, he’d be playing in Seattle (or traded to a third NHL team), but there’s no way he would end up back on the Canadiens immediately with a reduced salary or anything along those lines.

“FWIW, for those pondering the idea of Seattle selecting Price only to trade him back to Montréal…NHL has informed both clubs that is a total no-go. League considers that a clear circumvention,” LeBrun added in a follow up tweet.

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