It took almost all summer but Carey Price finally settled on a two year contract with the Canadiens today. Price will be paid 2.75 million dollars per season. The signing was announced only 48 hours after rumours were floated that the restricted free agent was prepared to withhold his training camp services if he did not receive a three million dollar contract.

While Carey Price was finishing third in the team roping competition at the Smithers B.C. Rodeo on the weekend, rumours were sufracing that Price is demanding a three million contract with the Canadiens or he was prepared to withhold his services to the team. Price is a restricted free agent without aribtration rights. The rumours are a product of the blogosphere and the sources are questionable, but that has never stopped the web gossip before. (INCLUDED IN THE REPORT-A TELEVISION FEATURE FROM CKPG TELEVISION , PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. ON PRICE APPEARANCE AT THE SMITHERS RODEO)

The RDS television network is reporting that defenseman Andrei Markov is already on skates only three and one half months after under going surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate liagment in his right knee. At the time, doctors estimated Markov would be out of the lineup for six months with an estimated return slated for mid-November. There is now hope for an early season appearance in the lineup.

When it comes to goaltenders the NHL marketplace has shifted to the buyer. Only 15 of the 39 free agent goaltenders on team negotiation lists have received 2010-2011 contracts. Still waiting for job offers and facing major cuts in pay are Jose Theodore, Vesa Toskala and Ray Emery. Some teams are second guessing long term contracts currently in effect. In the end, the lack of a vigourous goaltending marketplace may be affecting the on-going Carey Price negotiation.

“Wheels within Wheels”. The best way to describe the goaltending swap between the Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning Monday. The Canadiens give up the American Hockey League’s best goaltender last season, Cedrick Desjardins. In return they get only the playing rights to Finnish-born Karri Ramo, who will at the very best, not be available to them until the 2011-2012 season. Desjardins rejoins his Hamilton coach Guy Boucher in Tampa. Ramo goes back to Avangard Omsk of the KHL for another year.

Obviously, Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier or his European scouting saw something they liked in goaltender Karri Ramo’s play with Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League this season past. Monday they traded goaltending prospect Cedrick Desjardins to the Tampa Bay Lightning in order to get his NHL rights. The 6’2″ Ramo played in 44 games with Omsk last season with a league-sixth 2.11 GAA and a .913 save percentage. Unless he is released, Ramo has one year remaining in a two year contract he signed with Omsk in June of 2009.
Ramo was the starting goaltender for the International side at the KHL All-star game last January.
Desjardins, will be rejoining his Hamitlon coach Guy Boucher in Tampa training camp. Boucher became the Lightning head coach during the off season.

Today (Tuesday) is Carey Price’s 23rd birthday. While he celebrates near his home in British Columbia, his agent continues what has become a prolonged restricted free agent negotiation with the Canadiens that for a number of reasons has become very complicated. And while the dickering that will inevitably lead to a deal training camp’s opening next month, fans are getting impatient. Some of them have taken to calling Price out for the delay.

You win some and lose some. Although it’s not official, it would appear that the Canadiens top minor league goalscorer, Brock Trotter, is headed for Latvia and the Dynamo Riga team of the KHL. At the same time, a longshot draft choice of the Habs two years ago, Alexander Avtsin, will be abandoning Moscow Dynamo for the Canadiens. Trotter, a restricted free agent, reportedly signed a one year contract with Riga abandoning a potential 900-thousand dollar deal should he have made the Canadiens. Avtsin’s deal would get him 600-thousand should he make the big team.

Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier put his personal stamp on the Canadiens with the announcement of six changes in his hockey department.Serge Boisvert and Ryan Jankowski will join the Canadiens’ amateur scouting group. Vaughn Karpan becomes a professional scout, and Christer Rockstrom will assume scouting duties for European leagues as of September 1st.

At the administrative level, the team announced the appointment of Ken Morin as hockey information coordinator.

Finally, Pierre Allard becomes the Canadiens’ new strength and conditioning coach.

The Canadiens are going to have to play their first fifteen games of the season or so without the services of defencman Andrei Markov. How the team adjusts to his absence may tell the story of the entire season.