Montreal Canadiens' GM was once again very busy on Thursday, and he made another important signing for his team, even if it wasn't a free agent.
On Thursday, mere hours after journalists had said their goodbyes at the Montreal Canadiens’ training complex in Brossard after the Habs’ development camp wrapped up, they were notified that Kent Hughes had struck again, signing 25-year-old goaltender Jakub Dobes to a three-year contract extension worth over $16 M.
While everyone expected Hughes to sign Ivan Demidov to a long-term contract extension, Dobes's extension came as a bit of a surprise. The Czech netminder still had a year left on his contract, and the consensus was that the Habs would probably take their time and reassess during the season or even at the end of it. It didn’t come as a surprise for Dobes himself, however:
We [Dobes and his agent Gerry Johannson] were talking about it after the season, but we really started having this conversation like three weeks or a month ago about this. There were a lot of options, but we felt like this was the best one for me right now. We were focusing on it a lot for the last two weeks, and I’m really happy that I can stay three more years, well, four more years in Montreal.
In a nutshell, it was Dobes himself who wanted to focus on playing hockey and felt it was important to get this done this summer, even though he still had a year left on his contract.
With the year he’s had this season, it’s understandable. It wasn’t an easy season since it started with Samuel Montembeault squarely installed as the team’s number one option in net, and even though it became obvious quite quickly that Dobes was outperforming him, the Habs kept going back to the Quebecer. That eventually led Dobes himself to struggle, as if it had messed with his confidence. When things came to a breaking point, and the Canadiens were forced to make changes, sending Montembeault down to Laval for a conditioning stint and recalling Jacob Fowler, things started to get better.
When the Becancour native came back up and the three goalies started sharing the net, Dobes was asked how he would feel if he were sent down to play more games with the Laval Rocket, and his answer was probably the most honest answer a player has ever given to the press. He replied he wouldn’t understand because he was winning his games.
Fowler eventually went back to Laval, but Montembeault's struggles soon returned, leading the Habs to dismiss goaltending coach Eric Raymond and bring in Marco Marciano, the Rocket’s goalie coach, to replace him. Asked about the appointment, Dobes said he felt like he had someone in his corner, and it showed.
He battled with Fowler for the starting role, won it and by the time the playoffs came around, the net was his. He rewarded the organization’s trust with strong performance, demonstrating that it was the right decision.
The Canadiens' decision to put pen to paper with the netminder right now, without taking more time to assess the situation and make sure that his spring heroics weren’t just a goalie being hot for one playoff run, shows that Dobes now has more people in his corner and that will no doubt help with his peace of mind.
However, having his first big contract won’t make him take anything for granted:
I don’t think a contract guarantees you how much you’re going to play; I still must prove myself every day. I don’t need to think about all that stuff [the playing time and who’s going to start]…I can focus on hockey, which is awesome; it’s what I’ve always wanted to do: get things done early and focus on playing. My mentality is to focus on winning, and I feel like this is the perfect contract, the perfect place, and everything just worked out very well.
It’s easy to understand why Hughes didn’t give Dobes a long-term contract. As of right now, the Habs also have Fowler, who has widely been seen as the heir apparent from the moment he was drafted; they need to keep the door open to the possibility that he will outperform Dobes down the line.
This contract will allow the Canadiens to reevaluate when Fowler himself is eligible to sign a contract extension, at the end of this upcoming season (since his ELC will expire at the end of the 2027-28 campaign). If Dobes gets the lion's share of the work this year and Fowler is cast into the role of the backup but still gets enough playing time, his development won’t be hindered, and he may agree to sign a bridge deal as well for a reasonable amount. That would provide the Habs with the luxury of having two good goaltenders at a reasonable price for even longer, much like the Boston Bruins did with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark before they were both due for a big raise.
The days of the number one netminders who play 70+ games in a season are well and truly gone. Goaltenders like Andrei Vasilevskiy, Igor Shesterkin, and Connor Hellebuyck may play a lot of games. Still, only one masked man played over 60 games last season, and that was Karel Vejmelka with the Utah Mammoth. He finished the season with a .897 save percentage, which really isn’t all that good. There is no more Martin Brodeur out there who can play 70+ games and keep a save percentage above .915 season after season. Securing the services of two good goaltenders is the way to go. Hughes is aware of that fact, as demonstrated by the way he handled Dobes’ contract.
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