Remember just over two months ago when members of the hockey media speculated that the Canadiens might move one of their goalies at the trade deadline?  Common thought was that the Canadiens were terrified about the decision that loomed ahead this summer concerning which Restricted Free Agent goalie they should attempt to re-sign, Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak.  Many thought that it might make sense for Montreal to select a goalie preemptively and give him job security and confidence heading down the stretch.  

Montreal ended up hanging on to both players and postponed its decision until the summer.  Halak’s amazing play in the postseason has quieted that chatter, and it would now be a jaw-dropping decision if Montreal chose Price over Halak.  Still, both goalies should command hefty salaries considering their ages, potential, and NHL experience.  Financially the Canadiens will almost certainly keep only one of the two as their salary cap is crippled by the one and only Scott Gomez. 

Which leads us to one of the off-season’s most intriguing questions: where will Carey Price, not long ago considered to be the league’s top goaltending prospect, end up?  Price has been a disappointment so far during his NHL career, but it’s easy for Price’s supporters to point to late-blooming goalies like Roberto Luongo, who were one top draft picks, when defending Price.  

It’s impossible to tell whether or not Price will ever become an NHL star, but he’ll undoubtedly get a shot at a starting job somewhere and given every opportunity to succeed.  There are only a handful of teams that could be in the market for a starting goalie come July 1; Atlanta, Columbus, Edmonton, Ottawa, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia come to mind.  But almost all of them either have top prospects they aren’t likely to give up on yet, or declining veterans that they still owe substantial money.  Tampa Bay and Philadelphia appear to be the most likely suitors for a netminder, and though Tampa has far more cap space, the Flyers have never had any issue moving salaries around to create space for a player they covet. 

As I write this, Philadelphia holds a 3-1 series lead in the Conference Finals.  They have a golden chance to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals in Game 5 tonight in Philadelphia.  Despite the one obstacle that has plagued them for years; the Flyers have survived a nightmare season in goal and are on the doorstep of the Finals.  But regardless of the outcome of this season, it’s hard to believe a team as close to the big prize as the Flyers will enter next season with Ray Emery or Michael Leighton as their starting goalie.  

All of this makes it easy to imagine that the Flyers will make a major run at Carey Price this summer.  If he ever emerges as a star, the Flyers have the look of an Eastern Conference power for years to come, and very much even with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.  As Rangers fans, we must hope the Flyers unbelievably bad luck in net continues with Price.  But we’d be in an enviable position to Canadiens fans, who not only are about to get ousted by the Flyers, but may soon watch their potential franchise goalie join their current enemy. 

Halak has carried Montreal for much of the playoffs and it’d be an extremely tough sell to Canadiens fans if management preferred Price.  But before they make any decision, this scenario must be considered.  Of course, if Montreal somehow chose Price, you can bet Philly would jump all over Halak, so the Canadiens might be in a no-win situation.  Tonight could certainly be a crucial crossroads in the futures of both the Canadiens and Flyers.  And despite all the magic that Montreal has enjoyed this season, it’s difficult to see how this can all end well for them.