Montreal – It was Kerry Price because we haven’t seen him since last May.
That’s right, he had participated in a few exercises at the Bell Center before and a non-covid-related illness seemed quite sharp before he was taken away again and his seemingly never-ending rehabilitation from off-season knee surgery. But he wasn’t exactly the same as he looked at this one.
In this one, after Canadians took their annual photos to commemorate the season, Price was supposed to share his net with Samuel Montembelt but didn’t seem particularly generous about it. He was there almost the entire time of the first drill – a small-area scrimmage between the two blue lines – and did most of the work for the rest of the next 50 minutes.
The 34-year-old was attentive, intense and active. He looked like himself, as people described him as “competitive” after Brendon Gallagher.
“He doesn’t really like scoring goals, but when he is able to push across the crease and really challenge you, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that to a goalkeeper,” said Gallagher. “The way he can move to one side and always seem square to Pak, he is never out of the net. And when he has that strength and that push, he’s a tough guy to beat. “
Gallagher said he couldn’t get more than the price this day and then said, “So, he’s ready to go.”
Then again, it doesn’t look like Price will return to Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators in Montreal. When Martin St. Louis was asked when he could return – his long absence began a few weeks after the Canadians lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, extending to the beginning of the season when he left for treatment with chronic substance abuse problems. Called as and dragged all the way to this point – the coach said, “I have no idea.”
But St. Louis acknowledged what seemed clear to Gallagher, Jake Allen and the rest of us after watching Price practice on Monday. He did not deny that prices were approaching.
If it’s a mystery to anyone why the company would like to see Price return at the moment or why Price should consider returning to the games with the remaining 13 competitions in a season that is likely to end with the first with the Canadians – or the league’s second best draft lottery odds. , St. Louis puts it well.
“I know for Kerry, I think it’s important to see where he is for himself and how he will take it in the summer,” he said. “I think getting some answers for him in the summer is really important for his own personal things.
“For me, if you get a small sample of Kerry this year and get something exciting for him – be it his game or how he feels after his game – I think Montreal Canadians are going to move to a better place. That’s the Carrie Price. “
He was on this day, and it is vital to know if he will continue
Canadian executives Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes – and St. Louis, who will probably remove the interim tag and coach the team next year – need to know how Price feels and can practice what may not be simulated. Collecting these items on game samples is essential as they reset the roster and build into the future.
But nothing could be more important than Price proving that he can still play at the level he expects. For this reason, despite media members telling him at the end of January that he was unsure if he would be able to play again, he did not give up on this mission.
“I don’t think anyone would have blamed him if he had packed for the year,” said Allen, the de facto goal scorer in Price’s long absence. “He tried and tried and tried, but I knew he wouldn’t pack it. I knew he wanted to play. He reassured me that he wanted to play. He pushed the limits as much as possible, and I think there are probably a lot of outsiders who thought he was done for the year. I knew he would come back.
“She is OK. Whether he plays five matches or three, I don’t know, whatever it is I think the mentality behind it is that he is a competitor. And if I had her shoes, I’d do the same thing. I don’t want to sit there for five months (off-season) and think, ‘Have I got it yet or what’s the deal here?’ This whole crazy season has been ours, he has had some ups and downs and now he will have a chance to show that he is still Carrie (he always was). And obviously, if I were in those shoes there would be some rust. But if that were me, I would like to prove to myself that I have done all this work and that it is not for anything, I will come back and prove to this organization that I am still here. And I’m sure that’s probably the way he thinks. “
It was clear that Price’s mentality saw him stop shots after shots, and saw him push himself to the limit on Monday, following every drill এবং and even whatever sprints he followed.
Now his knees must respond well to his first full exercise of the week. The next few times he puts his foot on the ice it must be held and this must allow him to return to the game and submit to the final test.
That price looks close to getting ready for a welcome scene for everyone with Canadians.
“As a teammate, as a friend, as a guy, you’re really happy that you’ve been looking good for 10 years,” Gallagher said. “I’m glad to see him back there. You know how important it is for him to get back on the ice – even small steps like getting back into practice with the team will mean a lot to him.
“She is OK. I don’t know when it will be, but he’s getting closer. And, as his teammate, you’re excited and you’re happy for the guy. “