Montreal Canadiens Carey Price, P.K. Subban out for the season

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) and Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban (76) in Montreal on March 10, 2015. (Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

BROSSARD, Que. -- Carey Price felt he was close to a return to the Montreal Canadiens net, but didn't feel quite good enough to play in one of the final two games of the regular season.

So after meeting with team doctors and management, the star goaltender and reigning NHL most valuable player decided his season was over.

"Since the start of the injury I said I wouldn't come back until I was 100 per cent," Price said Wednesday. "We just ran out of time at the end of the season."

The Canadiens, who have missed the playoffs, announced that neither Price nor defenceman P.K. Subban, who has missed 12 games with a head and neck injury, will play in games Thursday night in Carolina and Saturday night at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Defencemen Mark Barberio and Victor Bartley and forward Lucas Lessio will also miss the games with injuries.

Price injured his knee Nov. 25 against the New York Rangers. The team estimated he would be out six to eight weeks, but Price said he expected it to take at least three months based on earlier knee injuries.

He felt he could have come back in another week or two and is confident he will be fully healed and ready to play in the World Cup of Hockey and the Canadiens training camp in September.

"Before the World Cup starts I will have been skating for a month and a half," said Price, who backstopped Canada to gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics. "I think I'll be pretty prepared by then."

The announcement came almost a week after he returned to full practice.

Coach Michel Therrien had expressed guarded optimism at that time that Price might appear before the Canadiens wrapped up their disappointing 2015-16 campaign.

"Carey isn't 100 per cent. That's why he isn't going to play," Therrien said. "There just isn't enough time left in the season."

There has been much speculation about the nature of Price's injury. The club only decided to reveal it was a knee ligament problem when it was certain he wouldn't return this season.

Therrien said rookie goaltender Charlie Lindgren will make his NHL debut Thursday, and Mike Condon will close out the season Saturday at home.

Price won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player and the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender last year and was off to a terrific start this season, going 10-2-0 with a 2.06 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage before suffering his second injury of the season in November.

Montreal started the season with nine straight wins, but quickly fell out of contention without their superstar goaltender.

Subban was injured in a collision with teammate Alexei Emelin late in a 3-2 loss to Buffalo on March 10. The team has gone 4-8-0 and conceded four or more goals eight times in 12 games without the 2013 Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenceman.

He has been practising with the team lately but hasn't felt ready to play.

"When you have a head and neck injury it's a little different," said Subban. "You have to have 100 per cent mobility and 100 per cent no pain and, right now, those criteria aren't fulfilled."

He hoped to be able to play for Canada at the IIHF World Championships in May but said he can't make a commitment until he gets clearance from team doctors.