The Montreal Canadiens may be active in NHL trade rumors, but they aren’t rushing into anything. Management has made it clear that no deal will happen until they can strengthen the team without weakening another part of the roster.
And right now, there’s one $84 million obstacle standing in their way.
Montreal Canadiens Waiting for Carey Price Contract to Clear Before Making Moves
The Canadiens have been closely monitoring the trade market. They’ve been linked to several possible deals, but general manager Kent Hughes has made one thing clear: any trade must help the team right now without creating problems elsewhere.
Insiders say the Canadiens don’t want to include top prospects Michael Hage or David Reinbacher in any deal. Both are considered major parts of the team’s future. Reinbacher, the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft, could become a top defenseman, while Hage’s quick rise has made him another key building block. The team believes that trading now would hurt them in the long run.
However, the biggest challenge is Carey Price’s contract. Price signed an eight-year, $84 million deal with a $10.5 million cap hit per season, which runs until the end of 2025-26. Even though he hasn’t played since 2021-22 because of a career-ending knee injury, his contract still counts against the salary cap. This limits Montreal’s ability to make moves in the offseason.
A key date in this scenario is September 1. On that day, Price will get a $5.5 million signing bonus. After that, he’ll only be owed $2 million for the season, with 60% covered by insurance. This is an attractive deal for a team trying to reach the salary cap floor, a big cap hit with a much smaller actual cost.
Back from vacay and made some calls.
The trade market is pretty dormant for the Habs, but moving Carey Price’s contract in September is expected to open up the Canadiens to potentially making another move.
The clear message: No lateral moves https://t.co/PnlQDOePB1
— Marco D’Amico (@mndamico) August 12, 2025
Trading Price’s contract after September 1 would give Montreal more cap space and remove the need to use offseason LTIR (long-term injured reserve), which is only a temporary fix. Right now, the Canadiens are already $5 million over the cap, allowed in summer because of the 10% cushion rule. But adding another big player now could push them too far and force an unwanted trade.
Using off-season LTIR is not advantageous. Right now the Canadiens are 5M over the cap because they can go over by 10% in the summer.
Adding another piece now, without sacrificing a roster player, would likely put them over the 10% cushion and force them into offseason LTIR.
— Marco D’Amico (@mndamico) August 12, 2025
For now, patience is the strategy. The Canadiens want to avoid quick fixes and keep building their roster the right way. Once the Price contract is moved, they could be in a much better position to make the kind of trade they’ve been waiting for, one that makes them stronger without sacrificing key pieces.
Until then, Montreal appears content to wait for the right opportunity. The organization has made significant progress in its rebuild and doesn’t want to derail that momentum with short-sighted moves.
