Believe it or not, it's true.
Former Victoria Royals captain Gannon Laroque has a new home, and it comes in an interesting fashion.
On Friday afternoon, the San Jose Sharks traded the defenceman to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for goalie Carey Price and a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
On paper, the move might seem confusing if you haven’t been closely following the hockey world the past few years.
But looking a little closer, it starts to make more sense for both sides.
Laroque played four seasons with the Royals from 2019 to 2023, appearing in 91 games and wearing the captain’s ‘C’ in his final season.
His success in Victoria caught the attention of the NHL, and he was selected by the Sharks in the fourth round of the 2021 draft.
Since then, he’s split time between the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL and the Wichita Thunder in the ECHL.
Now, he'll get a chance to crack a deep Canadiens blue line, one that features Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, David Reinacher, and Kaiden Guhle.
Price, 38, hasn’t played in the NHL since 2022 because of a significant knee injury.
馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL)
馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙
馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙
馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙
馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙馃悙
馃悙
Merci, Carey
That came a year after he carried Montreal to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021 before the Canadiens fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
The legendary netminder suited up in 712 NHL games, but he is not expected to play again. Despite that, Montreal continued paying his $10.5-million salary under long-term injured reserve, which expires at the end of this season.
For the Sharks, taking on Price’s contract is largely a cap move.
The contract carries a $10.5-million cap hit but only a $2-million base salary, leaving San Jose with over $9.2 million in cap space to work with while also adding a draft pick for the future.
Montreal, meanwhile, frees up about $4.57 million in cap space, giving them more flexibility to make moves as the season progresses.
Price’s legacy in Montreal is undeniable.
Drafted fifth overall in 2005, he has won virtually every major award for a goalie, including the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, William M. Jennings Trophy, and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
Price became eligible for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025.
