Bob Gainey admits there was a risk in trading veteran goalie Cristobal Huet, but he feels that it was a necessary step in the development of rookie Carey Price.

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The Canadiens' general manager addressed the media yesterday and said the experience Price has gained since the trading deadline will stand him in good stead for the National

Hockey League playoffs, which begin Thursday when the Boston Bruins visit the Bell Centre.

Price has no playoff experience in the NHL, but Gainey said he sees comparisons between the Price who has posted a 12-3 record down the stretch and the 19-year-old who led Hamilton to the Calder Cup a year ago.

"There are some comparisons with his play since the trading deadline," Gainey said. "I would make that comparison to some very important games he was asked to play. We played Jersey twice in a week and we won both games 2-1. That was a case where our goaltending had to be Triple-A because we knew theirs was. That would be a good example of what I saw from him last spring."

Price invites the inevitable comparisons with Hall of Famers Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy, each of whom led the Habs to a Stanley Cup as a rookie. But Gainey downplayed that comparison.

"Seems to me that we ran into a goalie from Carolina (Cam Ward) a few years ago who ended up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy, so I'm not sure we have a lock on this bringing in a new goalie."

The Huet trade, which has made the Washington Capitals a contender, was the only deal Gainey pulled off at the deadline. That disappointed many fans, but Gainey offered an insight into the decision not to add an impact player.

"When you think about making changes, you may discuss them, but they have to look reasonable," he said.

"They have to give you a sense that you're going to be better. Then you start to add up and you say we have this, but we don't have this. It comes down to the value of the people I confide with about what happens if we do this, and then we make our choices. We can all come up with scenarios where we could add another player to our team, but (in reality) that may not exist."

While there are 10 Canadiens who have never played an NHL postseason game - and others with limited experience like Mark Streit (one game) and Christopher Higgins and Tomas Plekanec (six games each) - Gainey noted there are experienced players on the team.

"Experience is important and I think a portion of the results over the past three months has been the result of the play of our veteran players," he said.

"We have had great performances from (Alex) Kovalev, (Bryan) Smolinski, (Roman) Hamrlik, (Mathieu) Dandenault recently. Our veteran players will be needed and relied upon. We have veterans who have been on championship teams who can carry that message to the younger players," Gainey said.

While the Canadiens' performance has been a surprise to many people, Gainey has insisted all along the team was capable of making the playoffs. He said he looked for signs during the season that the team was on the right track. One game he used as a measuring stick was a Dec. 23 visit to Dallas.