Journalist proposes insane Carey Price trade that feels like deja vu.

This has to be one of the most outlandish trade proposals I have seen in a long time, but funnily enough it is a trade proposal that harkens back to a period of National Hockey League history that most Canadiens fans would probably prefer to forget. 

In a recent article for the Denver Post Mark Kiszla lamented the fact that the Colorado Avalanche currently do not have a goaltender that could be considered a legitimate number one, a fact that he believes prevents them from being a serious threat as a contender. After recent comments made by Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar regarding his current starter Philipp Grubauer, Kiszla believes that the head coach may be losing faith in his man between the pipes.

From Kiszla:

It seems as if Bednar might be starting to doubt Grubauer, in much the same manner the coach lost faith in Semyon Varlamov a year ago. We all know a goalie controversy that isn’t nipped in the bud tends to fester.

Of course making a significant change in goal is easier said than done, but if the Avalanche genuinely believe that they are within their championship window then general manager Joe Sakic will have to find a way to get creative. As for the solution proposed by Kiszla this is where things go off the rails a little bit. The Denver Post columnist believes that Sakic should give serious consideration to contact Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin and inquiring about the availability of star goaltender Carey Price.

Again from Kiszla:

By nature, Sakic tends to keep a steady hand, rather than making sweeping moves with the back of his hand. Would it be OK, however, to suggest Trader Joe at least give Montreal a phone call and inquire about the asking price for goaltender Carey Price?

The suggestion seems implausible to me on a number of different levels. The first is the fact that Price is a franchise player and thus far for his entire NHL career has been tied to the Montreal Canadiens and all of their branding efforts. the second and most obvious perhaps is the fact that Price may also be the Canadiens most valuable player. Sure Price has not been his usual self this season but when he is on his game he can certainly steal some wins for your team. Last but not least there is the reality of Price's serious underperformance this season, His 2.95 goals against average and his .904 save percentage over 37 games this season are simply not what you expect from a goaltender of his caliber. Price carries a staggering cap hit of $10.5 million and you have to believe that number would give any general manager pause when potentially acquiring that contract. Combine that massive salary with Price's relative underperformance this season and I would be hard pressed to see why Joe Sakic would be interested in taking on 6 more years of that deal at the very same price. 

Kiszla however believes that the relationship between the star goaltender and the Habs has taken a turn for the worse. 

The relationship between Carey Price, a rare goalie who can proudly display a Vezina, a Hart and an Olympic gold medal in his trophy case, and the Canadiens has soured.

Perhaps in a scenario where both sides are unhappy a deal could be worked out, but would that be something? I can quite vividly remember a time another disgruntled goaltender left Montreal and headed out to Colorado to join the Avalanche.