The 34-year-old goalie has not played this season after having surgery July 23. The Canadiens said at the time he would need 10-12 weeks to recover.
Price, who has met with his own doctors as well as the Canadiens', had been making slow progress until Montreal paused activities earlier this month as a COVID-19 preventative measure, during which he contracted the virus.
"It's not a setback, but he was not able to use the weeks during the break to take a step forward," Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme said Monday. "He is basically at the same point that he was before Christmas, when the league was stopped because of COVID."
Price rejoined the Canadiens on Nov. 9 after entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program Oct. 7 for substance use. He skated for the first time with the Canadiens on Nov. 17.
Last season, he was 13-9 with a 2.28 goals-against average, .924 save percentage and one shutout in 22 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he helped the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning the Cup in 1993. They lost the best-of-7 series in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"Over the last few years I have let myself get to a very dark place and I didn't have the tools to cope with that struggle," Price said Nov. 9 in a statement released by the Canadiens. "Last month I made the decision to enter a residential treatment facility for substance use. Things had reached a point that I realized I needed to prioritize my health for both myself and for my family. Asking for help when you need it is what we encourage our kids to do. And it was what I needed to do."
The Canadiens also gave updates on several players who have been out of the lineup.
Goalie Jake Allen had an MRI on Monday after sustaining a lower-body injury at the Boston Bruins on Jan. 12, but it will be a few days before more is known. Allen (5-16-2, 3.15 goals-against average, .901 save percentage) will be out at least another week.
Forward Paul Byron, who had hip surgery in July and has not played this season, skated on his own for a third day in a row. There's a chance he'll join the Canadiens before their five-game road trip ends Monday at the Minnesota Wild.
Defenseman Joel Edmundson, who has not played this season because of a back injury and COVID-19 protocols, recently returned to Montreal after the death of his father, but there is no timetable for him to resume skating with the team.
Forward Brendan Gallagher, who sustained a lower-body injury Dec. 31, has been skating at Montreal's practice rink and is out one or two more weeks. He scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 25 games this season.
Forward Mathieu Perreault, who sustained a lower-body injury Dec. 14, remains out with no timeline for his return. He scored four points (three goals, one assist) in 14 games this season.
