In an end-of-season press conference, Carey Price acknowledged that he treated Friday’s 10-2 win over the Florida Panthers as his potential last game — but said he’ll fight to get back next season.
“This is definitely tough, but I’ve always been a fighter, I’ve always been a clawer, and I’m not giving up. So I’m going to continue to do my best to prepare for next season,” he said Saturday.
Price said he was feeling “OK” physically, but had questions to ask and appointments to attend over the summer regarding his medical status.
He added that he’s still experiencing swelling in his knee, and would not be able to play a full season in his current state, but said undergoing more surgery was on the table.
“My honest opinion is no,” Price said when asked if he could see himself playing 55 to 60 games next season. “I don’t believe the current state would be sustainable for a whole season.
“In that regard, I got a lot of question marks and fortunately for me I have a lot of time over the summer to prepare, so we’ll see.”
Price missed almost the entire 2021-22 season, unable to attend training camp because of off-season surgery before voluntarily entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program on Oct. 7 to deal with substance abuse and “neglecting my own mental health.”
Though he returned to the team in November, he only made his debut on April 15 against the New York Islanders. In five games, he recorded one win and a .878 save percentage.
Over his 712 game career, Price produced 361 wins and a .917 save percentage — earning a Vezina, Ted Lindsay and Hart Trophy in 2014-15 and leading the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final last season.
