After Jake Allen left Saturday’s game versus the Detroit Red Wings, it became clear the Montreal Canadiens have a goaltender problem. Not only was Allen arguably playing too many games for the Canadiens and the share of starts not being equally distributed between he and the backups, but now that he’s out and Carey Price isn’t ready to return to the lineup yet, the Canadiens may have a real problem on their hands.
When defenseman Jeff Petry shoved Dylan Larkin into Allen on a net drive Saturday night, Petry probably should have realized he was testing the fate of the Canadiens’ entire goaltending situation. Samuel Montembeault came on in relief after concussion spotters pulled Allen from the game and Montembeault wasn’t sharp, letting two goals in on two shots. He settled down eventually, but it’s clear why head coach Dominique Ducharme has been playing Allen so much… he doesn’t trust his other options.
The Canadiens announced that Cayden Primeau has been recalled and is meeting the team in Boston for their game on Sunday. There’s a good chance he gets the start versus the Bruins. It’s yet another sign the Canadiens are concerned about Montembeault’s ability to fill the role required.
If Price isn’t ready to return soon — and there’s a lot of talk he’s not necessarily close — will GM Marc Bergevin look around the trade market for another goaltender? It makes sense that he might, especially if news comes down that Allen will be out for a while.
As for how much the Canadiens are willing to invest in the position, that remains unclear and much of what they can spend may be determined by how much longer Price will be away and what is out there. Joonas Korpisalo is an option but the cost may be prohibitive.
Another question might be how Bergevin views this team. Off to a 4-10-2 record to start the year, they aren’t playing well, the injuries are a huge concern and Bergevin is in the final year of his current contract as GM, potentially moving on. Will he sell this season? Will he buy? Maybe he’ll be content just to let the year unfold as it does because he won’t be around to manage what’s left anyway.
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