SERAVALLI: Price’s health concerns cloud Kraken’s Expansion selection

by Frank Seravalli
DailyFaceoff.com

Ron Francis and the Seattle Kraken had no shortage of balls in the air on Sunday, as the NHL released the protected and available lists from all 30 teams involved in Wednesday’s Expansion Draft.

One of those balls being juggled was Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who was surprisingly made available on Saturday after he formally waived his “no-move” clause, which allowed him to be exposed.

The Hart and Vezina Trophy winner’s inclusion in the available player pool, fresh off a run to the Stanley Cup Final, was a surprise even to Seattle. The Kraken were believed to be eyeing up his partner Jake Allen.

But as the Kraken have dug in with their due diligence in the 24 hours since learning Price would become available, a deep dive is underway on Price’s health. The medical records of every player eligible to be selected were made available to Seattle.

Sources say there are significant concerns about Price’s health moving forward that may (or may not) deter the Kraken from selecting the Anahim Lake, British Columbia native. An MRI recently conducted by the Canadiens revealed a hip injury that could require surgery. The true extent of the injury is not yet known – and likely will not be known until later in the week, when Price travels to the United States to be seen by an expert. The results of the examination might not be available until Friday, after Seattle selects its team on Wednesday. There is also a lingering knee issue that requires attention, however that is believed to be more of a known entity in terms of severity. In other words, there isn’t just one problem spot.

This much is certain: Price’s availability for the start of this season is in question. He could miss eight weeks. Or, Price could miss a significant portion or the entirety of the 2021-22 regular season. It’s too soon to say.

This is all part GM Marc Bergevin’s calculated risk in exposing Price. Either the Kraken will be willing to roll the dice with a $44.25 million gamble on Price’s health and the Habs will have $10.5 million in newfound cap space. Or Seattle will go in another direction, Allen will carry the ball for the first chunk of the season, and in a perfect scenario, Price will be refreshed and ready to work in tandem with Allen on another playoff run.

Sources indicated it was Price’s idea to waive his “no-move” clause, knowing the uncertainty of his health. The belief is he did not want to see the Kraken to select Allen, himself being potentially unavailable to start the season, thus leaving the Canadiens in a tough spot to fill the void without both of their netminders. The Canadiens themselves waffled on what to do. Sources say Bergevin worked the phones well into Saturday afternoon trying to find a proper return for Allen, before ultimately deciding to play the card that Price left him in his back pocket.

In fact, the exact scenario developed late in the week. League sources confirmed that the Montreal Canadiens received an exemption from the NHL and NHL Players’ Association for Price to waive his “no-move” clause in unusual order. Teams must have asked for a player to waive his “no-move” clause by Tuesday. The Canadiens did not do so. Price contacted the Canadiens and volunteered after Tuesday and submitted his signed waiver before they were due from all players on Friday evening. The NHL accepted Price’s waiver because the time limitations were designed to prevent last-minute pressure from teams for players to waive; they would not stand in the way of a player voluntarily doing so. Plus, even with it signed, Montreal still held the right to protect Price anyway.

A cynic might say that the release of all of this information comes with most curious timing. Those same rumblings occurred earlier in the week when we learned that Canadiens captain Shea Weber would be left exposed for his own health concerns which may keep him off the ice indefinitely. In Price’s case, he is seemingly facing normal repairs from a long season on a body with plenty of mileage, and the Habs played deep into the playoffs before losing in the Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on July 7.

Now, the Kraken are on the clock. Seattle has until Wednesday, July 21 at 10 o’clock a.m. ET to make their 30 selections – and whether or not Price, injuries and all, will be the face of their new franchise.