Montreal Canadiens Confirm Carey Price Will Miss 2023-24 Season

Brett Kulak Traded to Edmonton Oilers

Canadiens Announce Final Roster Cuts

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced on Sunday that goaltender Carey Price will miss the entire 2023-24 season due to a lingering knee injury. Price underwent offseason surgery on July 22, 2022, to repair a torn meniscus. He was initially expected to miss six to eight months, but his recovery has been slower than anticipated.

With Price out for the year, the Canadiens will rely on Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault to handle the goaltending duties. Allen has been a solid backup in the past, but he has never been a full-time starter. Montembeault has shown some promise, but he is still relatively inexperienced.

In a separate move, the Canadiens traded defenseman Brett Kulak to the Edmonton Oilers for a conditional draft pick. Kulak was a valuable depth defenseman for Montreal, but he was expendable with the emergence of Kaiden Guhle and Jordan Harris.

The Canadiens also announced their final roster cuts on Sunday. Forwards Rem Pitlick, Jesse Ylonen, and Michael Pezzetta were reassigned to the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). Defenseman Logan Mailloux was also reassigned to the Rocket, but he will be eligible to return to the Canadiens later this season.

The Canadiens will begin their regular season on October 12th against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.