Canadiens' Price has knee injection as he prepares to return next season

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price said Friday that he has had a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection in his injured knee as he prepares to take the ice this summer with the hope of playing next season, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

Price was speaking to the media after winning the 2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded to a player "who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."

PRP therapy is a type of regenerative medicine that enhances the body's natural growth factors to help it heal more effectively. The injections are increasingly used to help heal injured tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. They can also reduce the need for anti-inflammatories or stronger medication. More information can be found here.

Price, who played only five games in 2021-22, said in his end-of-season media availability that he played through discomfort and would be seeking different opinions and staring down the possibility of more surgery without any assurances he’d be able to return and play at the level he expects of himself.

Still, he maintained he was "not giving up" and said he would do everything he could to play.

Price also underwent knee surgery last summer after helping the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said Price saw a specialist in Pittsburgh at the end of the season, but hadn't yet seen other doctors to discuss his knee.

Hughes also said that, in a perfect world, he'd know if Price can't play next season by the time free agency opens on July 13.

The 34-year-old netminder has four years remaining on a contract that counts annually for $10.5 million on the salary cap.