While the Canadiens don’t have long-time franchise netminder Carey Price available to them as he’ll remain on LTIR for the upcoming season (or the next two) and they have been searching for a replacement in recent years.
While they haven’t found their next true starter, they have amassed some extra depth at the position with four netminders vying for two spots in training camp next month.
The tandem from the past two seasons remains in place with veteran Jake Allen being joined by Samuel Montembeault who is coming off his best NHL campaign.
Casey DeSmith is now in the mix as well after being brought in as part of the Erik Karlsson trade over the weekend while prospect Cayden Primeau, viewed not long ago as a possible part of Montreal’s future goalie plans, now needs waivers to get back to AHL Laval.
While it’s possible that they could carry three netminders to start next season (though hardly an ideal scenario), four certainly isn’t happening. Assuming Montembeault and Allen remain the tandem, there’s no guarantee that DeSmith and/or Primeau would make it through waivers unclaimed and as a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Kent Hughes call around to see if there’s a possible trade to be made for one of his extra goaltenders.
There are a few teams where it appears a swap for another netminder could be palatable.
Buffalo: At the moment, it looks like the Sabres intend to run with a young tandem of Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with Eric Comrie likely bound for waivers. If they feel that DeSmith is enough of an upgrade on Comrie to serve as a short-term NHL option, they could then let Levi get some time in with AHL Rochester.
Chicago: Arvid Soderblom appears to be the current backup option but only has 71 AHL appearances under his belt and is waiver-exempt. They’re more of a training camp possibility if Soderblom struggles in the preseason but DeSmith as a short-term rental or Primeau as a longer-term swing both could fit.
New Jersey: Akira Schmid took over the No. 1 job down the stretch and into the playoffs but is still relatively inexperienced and is waiver-exempt. Meanwhile, the team hasn’t ruled out the idea of bringing in another goaltender. Primeau doesn’t make much sense here but DeSmith, a player who is capable of making 30-plus appearances, might appeal to them more than current options on the open market.
Tampa Bay: Somewhat surprisingly, the Lightning added Jonas Johansson at the beginning of free agency, giving him a two-year deal at the league minimum. But he has struggled in very limited NHL duty and could certainly be upgraded on. DeSmith would definitely be an upgrade but would require Montreal to do the maximum 50% retention on his $1.8M AAV or they’d need to send matching money back.
Vancouver: Spencer Martin was the backup goaltender for the opening part of last season but struggled mightily. He currently stands as the likely second-stringer once again which is risky as the Canucks look to get back to the playoffs. Cap space is an issue here (especially if Tanner Pearson is indeed able to return after finishing last season on LTIR) but someone like DeSmith would certainly be an upgrade.
On top of those teams, there could also be ones that have injuries in training camp that could force their hand closer to the start of the regular season if Montreal’s logjam still exists.
In the free agent market, the best remaining options available are veterans Martin Jones, Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott. If none of those goalies appeal to one of these teams and they want to make a move to add some goaltending depth, the Canadiens are a team they’ll be getting in touch with — if Montreal isn’t calling them first.
Between that and them now having an extra defenseman in the fold in veteran Jeff Petry, the Canadiens could be a team to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
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