How Will The Montreal Canadiens' Goaltending Situation Shake Up?

It's a tough break for any professional goaltender. Making it to the NHL is the biggest challenge, and every player wants to compete for a starting role.

For the Montreal Canadiens, three candidates are vying for the main starting job, and controversy is brewing early in the 2026–2027 season.

Sam Montembeault is sidelined with an injury, Jakub Dobes is working to find consistency, and Jacob Fowler is seizing all opportunities given to him. One thing is clear: coach Martin, St. Louis has some difficult decisions when his full netminding lineup is healthy. 

After an encouraging pre-season, allowing one goal on 35 shots across nearly four games, the 29-year-old suffered a lower-body injury during practice while attempting to make a save. After a dip in numbers between the 2024-25 season and his 2025–26 campaign, his save percentage dropped from .902 to .872, and his goals-against average climbed from 2.80 to 3.43. Montembeault only made 25 appearances last season, losing the starting job to Dobes.

Now, after sustaining an injury and with two healthy netminders playing a 1A/1B tandem, it is becoming unclear where Montembeault fits. After having inconsistent outings and his overall health becoming a factor, he sits third in the goaltending hierarchy. 

This isn't a straightforward three-way battle where every goalie has an equal shot; each player is fighting a different battle between holding a current position, fighting injury, and proving he is not a backup.

A legitimate challenger for the starting role, the 21-year-old is 2-1-0 with a .906 save percentage, earning three consecutive wins, including a 1-0, 30-save shutout shootout victory against the Detroit Red Wings.

With NHL experience from last season and a .908 SP over 17 games and a 9-6-2 record, the Canadiens are still rotating between Fowler and Dobes. What makes him so compelling is that he wasn't expected to play in the NHL this early in the season, but his performances have forced the team to reconsider his role and how much net time he deserves. 

Turning a goaltending crisis into an opportunity, Fowler sits well with his current 1.91 GAA. Now in his sophomore NHL season, he had a similar run last year, posting strong numbers with the AHL’s Laval Rocket. He posted a .919 SP, a 2.09 GAA, and three shutouts in his first 15 games before being called up in December 2025. 

In this case, he was supposed to start this season in the AHL; before his recall, he appeared in two Rocket games, allowing three goals on 55 shots. Now he's received an earlier-than-expected call-up from the Canadiens due to Montembeault's injury and is on a fast, steady track to prove himself. 

Jakub Dobes has had a rocky start to the season, but it doesn't give Montreal a good enough reason to not trust him. Based on what he's shown in the past and how early in the regular season it is, the 25-year-old deserves grace and has played four games with a 1-2-1 record.

With a concerning 4.63 GAA, he's allowed 11 goals in his last two starts and was replaced by Fowler. He returned to the crease after three games and allowed five goals on 23 shots. 

Dobes’ situation has gone from establishing himself as the Canadiens’ starter to defending the position and earning it back, with just an extra season under his belt. In the 2025–2026 season, he finished with a 29-10-4 record, posting a .901 SP and 2.78 GAA across 43 appearances. He went on to play 19 post-season games, recording a .908 SP. 

With consistency being rocky, it looks like he will be falling into the backup position more than expected. With Montembeault looking to return healthy, it won't just be a consistent battle, but going up against an experienced goaltender.

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