The Montreal Canadiens may be stuck with goaltender Sam Montembeault this season. The team reportedly had been exploring a trade for him, but interest has been minimal so far. 

This situation leaves Montreal facing a crowded goaltending situation heading into the training sessions. This was after their Game 7 win over Tampa Bay and Buffalo before losing to Carolina. 

 Montembeault lost the starter's job to Jakub Dobes, who signed a three-year, $16.05M extension.

“Meanwhile, interest in the goaltender from Bécancour appears to be nonexistent on the trade market,” one Quebec insider wrote this week as per an article from Yahoo Sports.

Without a trade partner, Montreal now carries three NHL-caliber goaltenders in their roster. That includes Montembeault, Dobes and prospect Jacob Fowler.

This is incredibly risky, as one goalie would lose out on regular starts. And sending either young goaltender to the AHL could also slow their development. Keeping all three on the team can cause an uneven rotation where nobody would be consistent.

General manager Kent Hughes has already hinted at the decision he prefers to take. According to a Montreal reporter, Hughes said he does not want Fowler on the bench again like most of last year's playoff run.

While Dobes and Fowler are set to split next season's work between them. For now, Montembeault remains on the roster with just one season left on his contract.

Montembeault's journey with the Panthers

Montreal originally acquired Montembeault off waivers from Florida in October 2021. This was after Florida drafted him in the third round of the 2015 draft. Since then, he has become a cornerstone in the Canadiens. But his numbers have dropped in recent years.

According to the NHL stats, his quality-starts percentage fell from 70 per cent in 2023-24 to 53.3 per cent in 2024-25, then fell to 34.8 percent just last season.

He made a 3.43 goals-against average and an .872 save percentage in all 25 games last season. This was before losing his job to Dobes and was eventually sent to AHL Laval.

Montembeault holds a record of 90-92-32 with a 3.23 goals-against average, an .896 save percentage and five shutouts. He also carries a $3.15 million cap hit for the upcoming season and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Dobes and Fowler will now be taking care of the net for Montreal next season. For now, the fans can only wait and watch how the Canadiens will balance all three players going forward.

What do you think the Canadiens should do with their goaltending issue? Let us know in the comments below.

Read more at NHL Fan Central!

Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason