Jakub Dobes has given the Canadiens a shot in the arm.
Jakub Dobes is having a magic carpet season. After killing it in Laval this season the Canadiens gave up on Cayden Primeau and elevated Dobes and he’s been able to run with the opportunity.
With the Rocket this season, Dobes had a record of 9-3-1 with a .910 save percentage. The 6’4” netminder has the right measurables. He has confidence and the team has responded to him.
Dobes is currently undefeated with the big club but that won’t last. Still, he’s been impressive and the fans understandably love him. Some were calling for him when Primeau was struggling and they got their wish.
So what do I expect out of Dobes. He’s a backup goaltender whose job is to battle and give Samuel Montembeault some nights off. Still, team people and people in the business will say they expect a backup to win half their starts. That seems to be the standard and that’s my expectation as well. That doesn’t mean Dobes can’t do better than that so I won’t put a number of wins that I’m looking for because I don’t know how many games he’ll play.
I love his story and he’s a battler. He looks like he belongs and so far the NHL hasn’t been too big for him. He will be 24 in May so he’s almost at the age where goalies are fully mature, so that part checks out. Some can take until 25 and it could extend to 27 but that’s in rare cases.