MONTREAL -- It's official: Carey Price is still a Montreal Canadien.
On Wednesday night, the Seattle Kraken selected 22-year-old defenceman Cale Fleury from the Habs during the expansion draft.
Fleury's professional career started when he selected in the third round, 87th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He made his professional debut in the 2018-19 season, posting nine goals and 14 assists with the Laval Rocket.
The next year, he played 41 games with the Canadiens, scoring a single goal and posting a -4 plus/minus. In the most recent season, a surplus of defencemen at the NHL level relegated Fleury back to the AHL. In 22 games with the Rocket, he scored six assists.
The pick put an end to rumours that goalie Price, who is coming off an impressive playoff run that saw him carry the team to the finals for the first time since 1993, would be taken by the Kraken.
While Price was not protected by the team, who used the slot to keep backup goalie Jake Allen safe, his huge contract and a possible serious injury that may require surgery seemed to be enough to scare Seattle off.
The selection was hardly a surprise, as many of the Kraken's selections were leaked on Tuesday and Wednesday.
