Technically, the Montreal Canadiens still have goaltender Carey Price on their roster.
He has been placed on long-term injured reserve once more, but due to the severity of his knee injury, there is little chance he will return to action.
Dr. David Mulder, a former team physician, revealed that the Canadiens netminder was suffering from more than just a meniscus tear.
Mulder spoke at the Bell Centre Gala and used the opportunity to elaborate on Price’s injury. The French version of his comments can be found here, via TVA Sports.
“It was frustrating for us, and doubly so for him,” Dr. Mulder said. “We realized he had two injuries.”
The second injury was discovered while Price was in New York for meniscus surgery.
“We sent him to New York for a meniscus surgery.” That’s when the surgeon noticed Price’s femur had completely lost its cartilage. That was the end of his career. Everyone was taken aback.”
Having to Play With Serious Injuries
As a reminder, the lack of cartilage on Price’s femur was discovered after his incredible playoff run in 2021-22, in which he led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final.
It puts his performance during that run, as well as his entire career, into a new light. He was dealing with a serious injury the entire time, but he still managed to play and excel.
It also proves that his Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy win in 2022 was well-deserved, and you’d have to be extremely arrogant to think otherwise.
Dr. Mulder’s findings correspond to the surgery Price described to the media in 2022.
OATS is an abbreviation for ‘osteochondral autograft transfer system,’ which is a cartilage transfer procedure that involves transferring healthy cartilage from one area to his weight-bearing knee.
The procedure is known as OATS,” said Price, who has yet to agree to the procedure. “They’re taking a plug of cartilage and bone from a lower area in your knee and placing it in the cartilage-damaged area.”
Price also stated that there is a 50% chance that the surgery will fail, which only adds to the gravity of the situation. Not only was he dealing with a painful issue, but his recovery was far from certain.
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