Arthroscopic surgery July 22 in New York cleaned up Price's torn meniscus, the shock-absorbing cartilage in the knee. The Canadiens said at the time his full recovery would take 10-12 weeks; but Price said he's encouraged by his rehabilitation.
Passed over by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft one day before his surgery, Price said he's happy to still be a member of the Canadiens and will be "for the rest of our career."
He crisscrossed North America on a few occasions since mid-July, having remained in Montreal for a couple of weeks at season's end before setting off with his wife, Angela, and their three children, daughters Liv, 5, and Millie, 2, and son Lincoln, who turns 1 in October.
Price went west to Kelowna, British Columbia, to visit friends and check on renovations to the family's offseason home, spent time with Angela's family in Washington state, flew to New York for surgery, returned to Washington to begin rehab, celebrated his 34th birthday Aug. 16, then moved his family back to Montreal to sharpen his rehab focus and prepare for the season.
"We didn't have a whole lot of time off," Price said Monday near home on the south shore of Montreal, waiting to pick up his daughter at the end of her school day.
"Basically, took a couple weeks off, had the surgery and started the rehab, then came back to Montreal early; we've been here about a month already. It's been an unusual summer but we're taking all the right steps and trying to get back as quickly as possible.