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Stu Cowan: Kraken face bigger risk than Canadiens with Carey Price – Montreal Gazette

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Goalie’s health and inconsistent play over last couple of seasons must be a bigger concern to Seattle expansion team than his contract.

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There are some who will say Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is taking a big risk by not protecting Carey Price for Wednesday’s NHL expansion draft (8 p.m., SN1, TVA Sports 2) for the Seattle Kraken.

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But the bigger risk is on the Kraken if the team decides to take the 33-year-old goalie who has five more seasons remaining on his eight-year, US$84-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of $10.5 million.

It’s the contract Bergevin isn’t protecting more than the goalie after Price agreed to waive his no-movement clause for the expansion draft. It’s similar to the situation the Nashville Predators were in when they traded Shea Weber to the Canadiens five years ago in exchange for P.K. Subban. Predators GM David Poile was trading the last 10 years of Weber’s contract — a 14-year, US$114-million deal with an annual salary-cap hit of $7.857 million — more than he was trading his captain.

Poile was forced to match the ridiculous offer sheet the Philadelphia Flyers gave Weber in summer 2012 in order to keep him in Nashville. But the day the Predators GM matched the offer was also probably the day he realized he would eventually have to trade Weber’s contract.

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The Canadiens have Price’s and Weber’s contracts for the next five seasons eating up $18.375 million of a flat NHL salary cap of $81.5 million. That works out to 23 per cent of the team’s payroll.

But that could change before next season with the possibility of the Kraken taking Price and his contract, and reports Weber could miss next season — and possibly longer — because of wrist, foot, ankle and knee injuries. It also looks like the Canadiens will lose Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar to free agency and it’s hard to imagine Jonathan Drouin playing in Montreal again.

Bergevin could have a ton of cash to go free-agent shopping when the market opens next Wednesday and the Canadiens could be a much different team next season.

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Nobody forced Bergevin to sign Price to his $84-million deal, but it’s a contract he probably wouldn’t mind getting rid of and the expansion draft is probably his last chance. It’s hard to imagine Price waiving his no-movement clause if his next possible destination wasn’t Seattle, which is closer to his off-season home in Kelowna, B.C., and the home of his wife’s family in Kennewick, Wash.


  1. Former Canadien Yannick Weber retiring from NHL after 13 seasons


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The Kraken are starting from scratch and as a result are probably the only team that can afford a salary-cap hit of $10.5 million for a goalie for the next five seasons because they don’t have any other big contracts they’re stuck with and can build their team around Price. At this point, Price’s health and inconsistent play during the last couple of seasons must be a bigger concern to the Kraken than his contract. There have been reports Price has a knee problem that might require surgery and that he also has a hip issue. After being fired as Canadiens goalie coach this season, Stéphane Waite spoke about Price having a history of knee, hip and back issues that he has had to learn to play through.

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If the Canadiens lose Price to Seattle, Bergevin would have to find another experienced goalie to share the duties with Jake Allen because it appears Cayden Primeau needs at least one more full season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

One of the goalies who could be available on the free-agent market is Jonathan Bernier, who had a 9-11-1 record with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage on a bad Detroit Red Wings team this season. The 32-year-old, who had a $3-million salary-cap hit in Detroit, had made at least 30 starts in each of his previous seven full NHL seasons. If the Canadiens lose Danault and Drouin, you have to think Bergevin will be under pressure to have at least one francophone on the team next season and Bernier would help fill that void. Other goalies who could be available as free agents include Frederik Andersen and Jaroslav Halak (remember him?).

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In Seattle, Price would immediately become the face of the franchise, like goalie Marc-André Fleury was for the Vegas Golden Knights after they selected him from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the last expansion draft in 2017. Of course, Fleury is a lot better dealing with the media than Price — a man of very few words at the best of times — and did an impressive job selling the Golden Knights on and off the ice after arriving in Las Vegas.

As for the Canadiens, leaving Price unprotected is sort of a win-win situation for Bergevin. If Seattle doesn’t take him, Price and Allen will be back together next season and Bergevin will hope Price can maintain the form he showed in the playoffs and stay somewhat healthy for the next five years. If Seattle takes Price, Bergevin gets rid of a massive contract and can spend money to fill holes at other positions while changing the look of his team.

One thing that must be in the back of Bergevin’s mind, however, is something an NHL scout once told me.

“You don’t really appreciate elite goaltending until it’s gone.”

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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French league’s legal board orders PSG to pay Kylian Mbappé 55 million euros of unpaid wages

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The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.

The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.

PSG officials and Mbappé’s representatives met in Paris on Wednesday after Mbappé asked the commission to get involved. Mbappé joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer.

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Reggie Bush was at his LA-area home when 3 male suspects attempted to break in

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.

The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.

Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.

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B.C. Lions lean on versatile offence to continue win streak against Toronto Argonauts

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VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.

Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.

The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.

“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”

He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.

Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.

The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.

“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.

The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.

“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”

Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.

“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”

While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.

“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.

“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”

Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.

Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”

The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.

A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.

Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.

“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”

TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)

Friday, B.C. Place

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.

CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.

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