The real reason Carey Price was not protected in the Expansion Draft.

The Montreal Canadiens shocked the National Hockey League and perhaps even more so their fans when it was revealed on Sunday morning that star goaltender Carey Price had not been protected in the expansion draft. The thought of losing Price, a goaltender that just carried your team to the Stanley Cup Finals, for absolutely nothing was a shocking one but it would now seem that there was a plan behind this move from Price and the Canadiens all along.

NHL insider Frank Seravalli is reporting that, although the Seattle Kraken are taking a look at the possibility of acquiring Price via the mechanism of the expansion draft, their is a cloud of doubt surrounding the current medical condition of the Canadiens goaltender. According to the insider's sources Price is currently dealing with a hip injury that could potentially require offseason surgery, a situation that could leave price unavailable for part, or even all, of next season. In fact it would appear that even the Canadiens won't know the full extent of Price's injury until next week when he sees a specialist in the United States, with the results of those tests potentially coming in only after the expansion draft has already happened.

Based on Seravalli's report, it seems to be the case that both Price and the Canadiens were well aware of all of this heading into this week and prior to the protection lists being announced. It may even have been Carey Price's idea to be exposed to the Kraken in the expansion draft given both due to his massive cap hit of $10.5 million making him an unlikely selection, as well as due to the fact that concerns around his health would make this a significant gamble for the Kraken.

From Seravalli:

Sources indicated it was Price’s idea to waive his “no-move” clause, knowing the uncertainty of his health. The belief is he did not want to see the Kraken to select Allen, himself being potentially unavailable to start the season, thus leaving the Canadiens in a tough spot to fill the void without both of their netminders.

If you're rooting for the Seattle Kraken this may seem like somewhat of an underhanded tactic on the part of Price and the Canadiens, and it probably is, but it would appear to be well within the rules of the game. There has been talk tonight that the Kraken are attempting to work out a scenario in which they could select Price, but that may not hold true with the additional concerns surrounding his hip.