I get the we should've traded Price crowd. For me the main burden is the contract, because finding a #1 goalie is a pain in the ass. So for me trading Price and re-building is my choice, but what happens when you have a solid core of youngsters with no goalie? Edmonton, Buffalo, Leafs...It's not that easy of a decision.
So I understand people who are less kin to a Price-less franchise. Thankfully, Primeau seems to be the heir in the system.
Let's see who won the Cup since the 2005 draft when we took Price, who was the goalie and where the guy was draft.
2006 : Carolina / C.Ward (1st round - 25th)
2007 : Anaheim / Giguere (1st round - 13th)
2008 : Detroit / Osgood (3rd round - 54th)
2009 : Pittsburgh / Fleury (1st round - 1st)
2010 : Chicago / Niemi (undrafted)
2011 : Boston / T.Thomas (9th - 217th)
2012 : LAK / Quick (3rd - 72th)
2013 : Chicago / Crawford (2nd - 54th)
2014 : LAK / Quick (3rd - 72th)
2015 : Chicago / Crawford (2nd - 54th)
2016 : Pittsburgh / Fleury (1st - 1st)
2017 : Pittsburgh / Fleury (1st - 1st)
2018 : Washington / Holtby (4th - 93th)
So, the last 13th Cup :
-5 times the starting goalie was a 1st rounder (same guy 3 times, Fleury);
-3 times with guys picked in the 4th or later (one undrafted);
-5 times with guys picked between the 2nd and 3rd round.
No need for more searches to remember that none of these winning teams were built around the goalie. Even with Fleury, who's the 'anomaly' here (1st-1st x 3 cups), team was Crosby's, followed by Malkin. We can do the same for ever other teams.
But still, Montreal managed to fed us the written all-over koolaid 'Price is the best goalie in the world and we will win by building around him'.
Time to aknowledge that they were wrong, and we were wrong to ever think this is how you win cups now. The Brodeur and Hasek's era was gone when the organization started a 15 years stretch with a goalie as the cornerstone for the 25th Cup. This is madness, plain and simple. Or stupidity.