Poulin on Price: 'He was the best at what he did'

TSN Hockey analyst Dave Poulin was fully expecting to be asked his opinion on Carey Price’s chances of eventually being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Following word from Montreal Canadiens general manger Kent Hughes on Thursday that Price is unlikely to play the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury, reaction has poured in on the netminder’s legacy.

Price, 35, was at the top of his game in the 2014-15 season, taking home the Vezina Trophy, Hart Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and the William M. Jennings Trophy.

The Anahim Lake, B.C. native logged a record of 44-16-6 that season with a 1.96 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.

Over 15 seasons, Price has gone 361-261-79 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.

Poulin, a former assistant general manager with the Toronto Maple Leafs, says he is “edging towards” Price’s likelihood of becoming a Hall of Famer, but gave himself some leeway to further review his opinion.

“I feel like he's a Hall of Famer, but I'd have to dig down a little bit,” Poulin told TSN 1050 on Friday. “It's not a sure thing - boom - he's a Hall of Famer, and that's the way I want a Hall of Famer to be.

“But one of my qualifications would be that you have to be the very best at what you do. I think it's understood for a longer period of time than the numbers showed that he was the best at what he did.”

Price originally had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in July of 2021 and was initially given a 10-12 week recovery period. But further swelling was detected in April of this year, causing concern for his health in the upcoming season.

Price briefly returned to the lineup late in the 2021-22 season and played five games.

Poulin viewed Price’s return as a test run that didn’t go very