Canadiens' Carey Price eager for return

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price intends to get back on the ice this season.

The 28-year-old's return has been delayed after he aggravated his lower-body injury in November, having played just 12 times this NHL season.

While Price is anxious to return to action soon, there is no definitive timeline as he continues to rehabilitate.

"Pretty confident. As far as things are progressing, things are looking pretty good," Price said, via Yahoo Sports. "It’s not a matter of protecting me. I’m going to play regardless. I’d just like to do it sooner than later."

Price suffered a lower-body injury on October 29 against the Edmonton Oilers.

The same injury that cost him nine games forced him to miss an additional three months after he was re-injured on November 25 against the New York Rangers in his second game back.

But Price claimed he felt completely healthy upon returning in November after spending three weeks on the sidelines, saying he did not "re-injure" himself but instead sustained a "different type of injury".

He was initially given a six-week timeline for the non-contact leg injury suffered against New York, though his return was pushed to late-February or early-March after he declined to undergo surgery.

"The nature of my position, it was just bad for goaltenders," Price said.

"It’s the only way to explain it. It’s never been an option to get surgery, so that’s that. Time was going to be the only option to let [the injury] fully heal, and it’s taken longer than expected.

"Butterfly, stretching out … it’s goaltending. It’s not the easiest position to play. That’s why we wanted to make sure we were 100 per cent."