Did Carey Price live up to his 8 year, $84M contract?

[Lshap]

If we're being clear, maybe you should stop trying to put words into my mouth and building strawmen.

My factual statement in my first post was that Price didn't live up to his contract and the Habs needed special rules to even make the playoffs after Price signed that albatross contract. To me, there's no reason for me to have to make a case to support this, when it's objectively true and easily verifiable. All the evidence I need is the fact that they didn't make the playoffs any year that didn't have special rules, which I'd like to assume you can verify on your own.

But Habs fans like you always want to make up reasons why the special rules that obviously contributed to their playoff berth during the Covid Cup weren't actually special to try to pretend what I said about Price needing special rules to even make the playoffs isn't actually true. That includes such inane claims as the North had the toughest teams, other seasons had different divisions too, and just imagine what Price might have done on a team that could drag him to the Cup, and when they inevitably fail to convince me, it's ad hominem attacks, attacking me as being unknowledgeable, unreasonable or a hater because I don't blindly agree with their weak arguments and excuses. But, after all the bluster from the Habs fans, the fact still remains that Price only got the Habs to the playoffs when Covid resulted in special rules, so what I actually said remains 100% true.

Lastly, for the record, I fully agree that the Habs were a great underdog story. A team that needed special rules to even make it into the playoffs in the first place, beating Toronto and the Jets and then finally beating a legit powerhouse like Vegas to make the SCF is a feel good movie just waiting to be made. If Montreal actually legitimately deserved to be there in the first place, they wouldn't be that much of an underdog and just making the SCF wouldn't be seen as that much of an unexpected achievement.

Had you stuck to your one and only factual statement – Price didn't live up to his contract – we would have no problem. Unfortunately, you ignored facts, going off on wild tangents about results you wish happened, but didn't.

I take my share of responsibility for indulging you, but it's time to get back on topic. This thread isn't here to indulge your imagined alternate reality about the Habs. You've stated your opinion about Price's contract. Thank you for your service.

 

[Jabba11]

Carey Price didn't live up to his contract. That's because his contract was given by Bergevin. Why wouldn't he take the contract?

But all in all, he did pretty well for the shitty teams he had and established records for the organization, dominated one season by winning everything and was a source of trust and confidence in between the pipes for us. Price was the best player in our organization for the last 10-15 years but building your organization from between the pipes is not a good thing.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

How about this, I'll keep calling it the Covid Cup, and will try to compile a list of all the Habs fans who take issue with it, and let you know who cares. I can't promise it'll have everyone on the list, but I'm sure I'll get more than a couple of names for you.

(Yawn)

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Carey Price didn't live up to his contract. That's because his contract was given by Bergevin. Why wouldn't he take the contract?

But all in all, he did pretty well for the shitty teams he had and established records for the organization, dominated one season by winning everything and was a source of trust and confidence in between the pipes for us. Price was the best player in our organization for the last 10-15 years but building your organization from between the pipes is not a good thing.

Honestly, if you had to do it again, would you? I would. He led us to multiple series we shouldn’t have won and a cup final.

No, it wasn’t the cup but he got us to the show and was the only thing worth watching over that stretch. Criminal how they blew up the team around him but Price at least won those series for us.

That contract went off the books right when the team started rebuilding. It didn’t hurt the team at all. It was money well spent. Very few players could have taken a team as bad as that club was that far. And he beat Pittsburgh the year before too. It was fun to watch.

Just too bad his teams were so brutal.

 

[McDrailers]

Did he live up to it? No probably not.

But if your Montreal in 2017 you sign that contract 1000/10 times over. Was Roberto Luongo as an example worth his contracts?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Did he live up to it? No probably not.

But if your Montreal in 2017 you sign that contract 1000/10 times over. Was Roberto Luongo as an example worth his contracts?

Keep in mind he was the first ten mil player to win a playoff round and the first to win multiple rounds.

His regular seasons weren’t great but he was money in the playoffs. I think that’s worth the contract. I’d much rather that than Joe Thorton who didn’t show up when it mattered.

 

[McDrailers]

Keep in mind he was the first ten mil player to win a playoff round and the first to win multiple rounds.

His regular seasons weren’t great but he was money in the playoffs. I think that’s worth the contract. I’d much rather that than Joe Thorton who didn’t show up when it mattered.

Agreed. There’s not a team in the league who wouldn’t take price at that contract. It’s quite a sad “what if”, as in what if Carey Price was a member of the “X” team instead of MTL

 

[dirtydanglez]

i get why the habs did that contract but in hindsight they should have traded him. that habs team didn't have the pieces to build a team around him and he would have returned a kings fortune in a trade at the time.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Agreed. There’s not a team in the league who wouldn’t take price at that contract. It’s quite a sad “what if”, as in what if Carey Price was a member of the “X” team instead of MTL

Yep. The Canadiens wasted a great career. Bergevin came in at the absolute worst time.

Jaromir Jagr wanted to join in 2013 and we turned him down. But we signed Brandon Prust and Francis Bouillion. We made David Desharnais our number one despite us having three better centers. The incompetence was astounding. And yet they STILL managed a first place finish because they had Carey Price.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

i get why the habs did that contract but in hindsight they should have traded him. that habs team didn't have the pieces to build a team around him and he would have returned a kings fortune in a trade at the time.

It was insane how they ran that club. They sign Price and then immediately blow up the team.

In 2017 they don’t re-sign Markov. They get Alzner at a fat contract. Let Radulov go… blow up the team with a horrible defensive group, have ten mil in open cap space. Price’s numbers predictably crash… What was the point of signing him?

I’m glad I got to see those runs. Him taking us to the finals was epic. But he could’ve been winning cups if they’d just surrounded him with a good team.

 

[Tripledeke333]

Yes, he definitely lived up to that contract.

It is thought to overstate how horrible and devoid of talent all of the Habs teams were then. Price also has a very positional style of play which makes tough saves look easy. If it were not for Price they would be picking 1-3 overall every year. Let's look at the results.


2017-2018: Leading scorers were Gallagher (54 points), Galchenyuk (51 points) and Drouin (41 points).

2018-2019- Missed the playoffs by 2 points with the teams leading scorers being Domi (73 points), Tatar (58 points) and Drouin (53 points).

2019-2020: Made playoffs and upset Penguins (many thought Crosby and co may have one more cup in them).

2020-2021: Somehow made it to the Stanley Cup finals and may may have had a decent chance to win if they faced anyone else except the stacked Lightning Team.

2021-2022- Price goes IR and Has are the worst team in the league.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

The Canadiens management let Price down over and over again throughout his career. The least they could do is pay him a fortune after all he’s done for them.

 

[Tripledeke333]

Yep. The Canadiens wasted a great career. Bergevin came in at the absolute worst time.

Jaromir Jagr wanted to join in 2013 and we turned him down. But we signed Brandon Prust and Francis Bouillion. We made David Desharnais our number one despite us having three better centers. The incompetence was astounding. And yet they STILL managed a first place finish because they had Carey Price.

On top of this, from 2008 on I think Gallagher was the only draft pick (this also excludes Sergachev who they traded away for Drouin) that did anything in the NHL. They went like 10 years with only on good NHL player drafted. People underestimate how insanely bad that franchise was run.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

On top of this, from 2008 on I think Gallagher was the only draft pick (this also excludes Sergachev who they traded away for Drouin) that did anything in the NHL. They went like 10 years with only on good NHL player drafted. People underestimate how insanely bad that franchise was run.

They had some good young players they ruined. For all the shit Galchenyuk gets, he had good offensive potential and they did everything they could to stunt it. Playing DD as a first line center was a disgrace

 

[Sensatauro]

Did he live upto the contract. Absolutely not.

Did Carey Price deserve that contract. Absolutely.

Habs management did him dirty. Like CRAZY levels of dirty

The list of terrible management moves and actions, Sens take the cake, Melnyk and Dorion were the worst, but the habs management was not as far behind on the terrible scale.

So can't fault price for failing to live up to the contract, he did above and beyond what he should have had to given the circumstances.

 

[Miller Time]

Yes

 

[rickthegoon]

As a Habs fan, I have my hometown base turn on me everytime the subject comes up, because you see, if you just mention that you are not his greatest fan, people consider you as a hater/ traiter/enemy of the state .
As for that 84 M contract, it’s pretty easy to calculate. He played around 150 regular games and 22 playoffs games for that money.
.894% save percentage.
During that period he suffered a few serious injuries, then decided not to seek anymore corrective surgeries , mentioning numerous times he was afraid these surgeries would prevent him from playing with his kids later in his life.
Then he moved his family out of town and has stayed away from his team for the 4 years remaining on his contract.
Management completely wasted his best years by bad cap handling; stupidly thinking Price would be enough to win a cup.
He outplayed his previous contract, but that 84M contract was( and still is ) a complète disaster à la Rocky Depietro

 

[Goose]

How can anyone say yes when he played like 25% of eligible games with a sub .900 sv%?

One of Canada’s all-time greatest goalies at his peak, which was high, but injuries ruined him.

 

[Pablo El Perro]

How can anyone say yes when he played like 25% of eligible games with a sub .900 sv%?

One of Canada’s all-time greatest goalies at his peak, which was high, but injuries ruined him.

The team wasn't doing anything else with that cap space.

 

[Bring Bak Damphousse]

On top of this, from 2008 on I think Gallagher was the only draft pick (this also excludes Sergachev who they traded away for Drouin) that did anything in the NHL. They went like 10 years with only on good NHL player drafted. People underestimate how insanely bad that franchise was run.

Gallagher and Lehkonen, but your right absolutely astounding incompetence from management that wanted to build through the draft.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Possibly the worst a player has ever been wasted in the NHL, at his best he was one of the greatest of all time

 

[Peter Puck]

I was about to say that clearly getting hurt meant that he didn't come close to living up to his contract. It was a huge contract and he didn't play many games.

But then I started to think what did his contract cost. He played 3 seasons (and 5 more games) under that big contract. The rest of the time he was LTIR which basically erases him from the Habs cap during his LTIR time. He also is being probably being paid by insurance (but its not fans' money either way). So he cost the habs about $34 million in those 3 years.

2 of the 3 years the Habs made the playoffs. In 2019-2020 he had a playoff GAA of 1.78 and a save percentage of 0.936. The next year he carried a weak Habs team to the cup final with a playoff GAA of 2.28 and save percentage of 0.924.

Was beating the Leafs, Jets and Knights in 2021 playoffs worth the 30 million? I am pretty sure that the vast majority of Habs fans think so in retrospect.

Are there any leaf or jets fans that wish a $10.5 million player had got them into the finals at least once in the past 5 years?

 

[Guy Larose]

The Covid cup thing is dumb.

It's the dumbest narrative on this site from Hab haters. They only had to beat TO, WPG, and Vegas. It was fixed I tells ya.

 

[Lshap]

It's the dumbest narrative on this site from Hab haters. They only had to beat TO, WPG, and Vegas. It was fixed I tells ya.

I've learned there's no point trying to wade through the fantasy world of certain fans. If a team they hate succeeds, they'll skip over reality and build an elaborate story about why the team really didn't succeed. It's like trying to have a discussion with people handing out religious pamphlets.

However, the debate over Price's contract is a fair one, given when it was signed. I've gotta' admit, I've read some solid pro and con arguments in this thread and I'm still not sure where I stand. My only issue was with people who didn't understand the impact he made during his prime, which is the greater context behind that contract.

 

[PaulD]

Keep in mind he was the first ten mil player to win a playoff round and the first to win multiple rounds.

His regular seasons weren’t great but he was money in the playoffs. I think that’s worth the contract. I’d much rather that than Joe Thorton who didn’t show up when it mattered.

Both Carey and Joe won a Hart.
Both went to one final......neither played great in the final.