It’s been a tough season between the pipes for the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens], and the organization decided to call up Jacob Fowler as a result, whether it admits it or not. The prospect showed that he could do the job in the NHL, giving the Habs another viable option in net. On Sunday night, after Jakub Dobes had a dominant performance against the Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers], Martin St-Louis admitted that he doesn’t know what the future looks like for his goaltenders. The Canadiens had a day off on Monday, and the Laval Rocket doesn’t play until Thursday, so the Tricolore has time to figure it out. Dobes Backstop Canadiens To Big Win Over Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/dobes-backstop-canadiens-to-big-win-over-oilers] Canadiens: LJ Mooney Set For Significant Role With Defending Champions [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-lj-mooney-set-for-significant-role-with-defending-champions] Canadiens Prospect Out To Prove Team Canada Wrong After Snub [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-prospect-out-to-prove-team-canada-wrong-after-snub] After the 4-1 win over Edmonton, the popular post-game show, L’Antichambre on RDS, discussed the goaltending situation, and one of the panellists, Norman Flynn, was quite vocal about Samuel Montembeault’s play getting the Canadiens to the playoffs last season. According to Flynn, that should buy him some time. He essentially asked if the organization was already out of patience with the veteran netminder, saying it was too early, that the halfway point of the season hadn’t even been reached yet. Whether Flynn likes it or not, professional sport is a business of results. You’re only as good as your last performance, especially on a team that has turned a corner and is entering another stage of its rebuild. To say that it’s too early to move on from Montembeault is questionable. Last season, Cayden Primeau played in 11 games before the Canadiens elected to move on by calling up Dobes and waiving the former seventh-round pick. This year, Montembeault has had 15 matches to find his game, and he’s still trying. The team has been so patient, in fact, that it even managed to shake Dobes’ confidence by benching him when he was outperforming the Quebecer. I’m not advocating for the Canadiens to waive Montembeault; they don’t need to do that, but I believe having three goaltenders wouldn’t be a bad idea right now, especially if the Habs want to make the playoffs. Sending Dobes down would be detrimental to his confidence; it’s already been messed with enough this season. Tintin had Dupond and Dupont; there’s no reason why St-Louis couldn’t have Jacob and Jakub while Montembeault tries to find his game. Of course, Fowler needs to play, and there would be no point in keeping him up with the Habs if he’s not playing, but it’s too early to worry about that right now. The Habs can cross that bridge when they get there. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Image [https://cdn.ramp-assets.playwire.com/1025444/76033/house_ads/file-1762367418209.jpg] Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
