3 destinations named for upcoming Carey Price trade.

It seems all but inevitable now that Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will be dealt some time in the very near future, with multiple sources reporting that a trade is imminent.

The only question that remains to be asked is where Price will end up, and we now have some idea of where that might be. RG Media's Marco D'amico is also reporting that Price 'should' be traded at some point during the coming week and has speculated regarding where Price will land.

D'amico dropped two pretty obvious names when he named the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks, but also included something of a surprise candidate in the form of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Sharks and Blackhawks make a ton of sense as teams that are relatively close to the salary cap floor, you can add the Anaheim Ducks to that list as well, so acquiring Price's contract at a cap hit of $10.5 million makes a lot of sense when you consider that he is only owed $2 million in real money this season.

The Penguins on the other hand do not find themselves in such a scenario and I believe we would be looking at a very different trade should Price end up in Pittsburgh. The Penguins would likely want a significant asset to take that contract off the books for the Canadiens while also using his contract to remain above the cap floor later on in the season with trade rumors surrounding several of their players. Forwards Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell as well as defenseman Erik Karlsson have all been linked to significant trade rumors throughout the summer and that would result in a significant amount of money coming off the books for the Penguins should they all come to pass.

All 3 of the teams involved may be looking to use Price's contract to keep them above the cap floor as they look to unload assets during the season, especially with a projected generational talent like Gavin McKenna expected to go first overall at next year's National Hockey League Entry Draft.

The only question now is how much will it cost the Canadiens to move Price's contract off their books?

What team do you think will eventually pull the trigger on this trade? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.