Montreal Canadiens netminder Samuel Montembeault agreed to be sent down to the Laval Rocket for a conditioning stint and didn't argue; he took it like a team player.
A couple of hours before their game against the Philadelphia Flyers last night, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Samuel Montembeault was sent down to the Laval Rocket for a conditioning stint. After the 4-1 defeat, coach Martin St-Louis explained how it happened.
The Habs had a day off on Monday after playing a back-to-back over the weekend, and the coach spoke to the team’s former number one on Tuesday morning, a talk that went very well. He described the netminder as a team player who is willing to do whatever the team needs:
The conversation was pretty simple, like with anybody, it doesn’t matter how we got to where we are, it’s how do we get it back. I feel like the way the schedule is set up for us in Laval, he’s going to be, I think it was the perfect scenario to get a couple of games and start building it back. It’s unfortunate, but you know, to me, the answers are everywhere. I don’t see it as a problem.- St-Louis on the conversation he had with Montembeault
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While the CBA allows a conditioning stint to last up to 14 days, St-Louis confirmed that the plan was for Montembeault to play a couple of games with the Rocket and then join the team in Pittsburgh. Meaning that he will start for Laval’s next two games, two road games against the Cleveland Monsters are set for Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.
The Columbus Blue Jackets' farm team is struggling this season and currently ranks sixth in the North Division. They are currently 29th overall in goals scored, with 56 in 23 games (2.43 goals per game), and their top scorer has only 16 points.
Montembeault has played 104 games in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds and the Syracuse Crunch, posting a 3.09 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Hopefully, the short stint in Laval turns out to be just what the goalie needed, and he’s able to turn over a new leaf. The coach believes it will benefit him.
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