It's all water under the bridge now but there's a report that Keith Kinkaid was not GM Marc Bergevin's first choice for backup goalie for the Montreal Canadiens. According to Martin McGuire, a host with 98.5 FM Sports Radio in Montreal, Bergevin attempted to snag both Tristan Jarry and Curtis McElhinney in the offseason, but had to settle on signing Kinkaid as a free agent instead.
With a record of 13-5-0, along with a GAA of 1.88 and a .938 save percentage, Pittsburgh's Jarry would have been a huge get for the Habs. As for McElhinney, currently with the Tampa Bay Lightning, his stats are similar to those of Carey Price. Although nothing spectacular, it would still be an upgrade over Kinkaid, who has since been sent to the minors after managing just one win in six starts in the NHL.
As in previous years, the Montreal Canadiens have chosen to live and die by the play of Carey Price. So far this season, it's not working. Price is 16-13-3 this season with a 3.03 GAA and a .901 save percentage. The numbers aren't horrible but they are far from what you'd expect from the highest paid goaltender in the NHL. In his last two games, Price has let in a combined 11 goals on 64 shots. That's a dismal .828 save percentage for those two games. The Canadiens put up a combined nine goals, a good indicator that offense isn't the major issue with the team. The blame can't be squarely placed at the feet of Price. As head coach Claude Julien himself stated following the team's latest loss, the defense also needs to be better. Julien also had no issue stating Price needs to make more saves.
The latest two losses against divisional rivals dropped Montreal to fifth in the Atlantic Division and well outside of a playoff spot at the moment. Should Price continue his recent play, the playoffs will be out of reach for the team for the third straight season.
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