It was a weird year in the Canadiens net, but it ended on a very high note.
After Cayden Primeau was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in June last year, nobody expected the Montreal Canadiens to have yet another goaltending threesome on their hands, but that’s exactly what happened. In fact, what happened to Samuel Montembeault wasn’t all that different from what happened to Primeau the season before; the main difference was that the former had accustomed us to a higher level of performance, but the higher they fly, the harder they fall, unfortunately.
Samuel Montembeault
The Bécancour native entered the regular season as the Canadiens’ number one, but was never able to hit his stride. In his first six games, he only posted a save percentage higher than .900 once. The Habs gave him every opportunity to bounce back, going back to him without fault for a long while before they eventually realized that it just wasn’t going to happen and called up Jacob Fowler while sending Montembeault down for a conditioning stint.
He looked like he had bounced back when he returned to the NHL after Christmas, but the hope was short-lived, and by early March, he was permanently put on the sidelines. He started 23 games this season, appeared in 25, and earned wins 10 times. His goals-against average stood at 3.43, and his SV at .872. A year earlier, he had 31 wins, a 2.82 GAA, and a .902 SV. Needless to say, he failed to meet expectations or even to provide acceptable goaltending, making it impossible to give him a good grade.
It has to be said that he was the perfect teammate after being sidelined, doing everything asked of him with a smile and providing veteran guidance to his two young teammates. At the end of the season, he explained that he had put too much pressure on himself and wasn’t approaching games with the right attitude. He’s ready to turn the page on his rough season and start over. While he wouldn’t mind doing that in Montreal, the odds of that happening appear to be slim; still, never say never.
Grade: D
Jakub Dobes
While the Czech netminder started the season as the number two option in net, he finished it as the uncontested number one. Dobes won his first six starts of the season. Despite Montembeault’s poor results, the coaching staff kept giving him the net back, which eventually led to what looked like a crisis of confidence for the youngster and left the Canadiens with two struggling netminders on their hands.
When Montembeault came back after the Christmas break, Dobes made the headlines after saying that he wouldn’t understand if he ended up being the odd-man out sent down to Laval since he was winning games. Marco Marciano’s arrival marked a turning point of sorts in his season, and he mentioned that the interim goalie coach was in his corner, so to speak.
Of course, Dobes was lights-out in the playoffs and showed that when the team believes in him and gives him the net, he can be a consistent goaltender who gives his team a chance to win every game. He finished the season having started 42 games and taken part in 43, winning 29 times with a 2.78 GAA and a .901 SV. In the playoffs, he was 9-10 with a 2.69 GAA and a .905 SV.
With his performances, Dobes sent a clear message to the organization; he shouldn’t be passed over for Fowler, the goaltender most see as the goaltender of the future in Montreal. He’s made his mark on the present, and the future will have to wait. Unless, of course, the Canadiens decide to use one of their young netminder as a trade chip to fix an organizational need, but given the fact that he’s still under contract for one year, the Habs would do well to take the time to assess both goalies thoroughly.
Grade: A. His bad patch keeps him from getting the top mark, but at the same time, it did show just how strong his character is.
Jacob Fowler
The surprise guest in this roller-coaster of a season in the net. Even if the Canadiens say they always planned to give him a try this past season to see where they stood with him, it just sounded like a way to avoid saying Montembeault’s struggles were just too serious to ignore or overcome. Parachuted in a tough situation with the number one goaltender being sent down to Laval, Fowler answered remarkably with a 9-6-2 record, a 2.43 GAA and a .908 SV, which also included a shutout.
His performance was reassuring for an organization that didn’t intend to rush him and didn’t think it would have to, until December, when it became clear that it had no choice, thankfully for Kent Hughes and co. Fowler was ready to go, and with that information, the Canadiens entered the offseason with sorting out goaltending on their to-do list. Not that they need to get help, and while Hughes has said he wouldn’t mind having three goalies on the team next season, it’s obvious that it’s not his preferred course of action.
Grade: B+. It would have been higher with a larger sample size, and there is little doubt it will be higher in the coming years as he sees more action.
There’s never a dull moment in Montreal, and this summer should be no exception. Look for Hughes to be active and find a way to start the next campaign with the two young netminders, while Montembeault will get the opportunity to turn over a new leaf.
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