Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault was among the players on Matt Larkin's latest trade board for Daily Faceoff [https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/nhl-updated-2026-trade-deadline-candidates-board-faulk-coleman-jenner-sherwood-binnington-kadri-stamkos]. Larkin had Montembeault in his "Names to keep an eye on" tier. "He’s back with the big club now and trying to recapture his game, but a three-goalie battery feels crowded, and Montembeault has showcased sufficient upside to warrant another team taking a chance on him," Larkin wrote. Seeing Montembeault being considered a potential trade candidate is not necessarily surprising. As Larkin noted, the Canadiens have two promising young goalies in Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes, so it is fair to wonder if Montembeault could be made expendable. This is especially so if the 29-year-old continues to struggle as the season rolls on. In 17 games so far this season with the Canadiens, Montembeault has recorded a 7-6-1 record, a .865 save percentage, and a 3.48 goals-against average. With this, there is no question that the 2015 third-round pick has been performing below expectations this season for Montreal. Yet, at the same time, Montembeault bouncing back should not be ruled out. Before this season, he had a .901 save percentage or better in his previous three campaigns. This included this past season, as he had a 31-24-7 record, a .902 save percentage, and a 2.82 goals-against average in a career-high 62 games. Another important thing to note about Montembeault is that he is signed until the end of the 2026-27 season. With this, the Canadiens do not need to rush a move involving Montembeault if they want to keep him around to have a veteran goalie in the room for insurance. Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see what ends up happening with Montembeault and the Canadiens this season.
