Carey Price expected to return to Canadiens soon

It appears the Montreal Canadiens are getting closer to having franchise goaltender Carey Price back with the team.

Price, 34, has been in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program since Oct. 7 working through mental health issues.

Habs head coach Dominique Ducharme said the club is expecting him to return to the team.

“We don’t have confirmation yet, but we’re expecting him in town soon,” he told reporters Tuesday. “We don’t have the exact date yet.”

Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported Price may return to the club as soon as this weekend.

Just to clarify: I take this to mean that Price won’t be enrolled in the program for more than the minimum 30 days. He should be back with Canadiens shortly, by this weekend at the earliest. No exact date yet for his return.

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) November 2, 2021

The Habs have been off to a tumultuous start to the 2021-22 campaign with a 2-8 record in their first ten.

While Price, or any players mental health should always come first as it has here, there’s no denying that his absence has sorely been missed on the ice. In 2020-21, Price posted a 12-7-5 record, a 2.64 GAG and a .901 save percentage in the regular season.