Samuel Montembeault to play less next season

Even if goalies did that in the good old days, in 2025, it’s no longer the norm. After all, the speed of the game, the rise of the offensive game, travel and all those factors make a goalie’s life more difficult.

And the proof is that few goalies played as much as Monty in 2024-2025. The Habs have shown, more than ever, that in today’s NHL, you need two good goalies.

Before the holidays or in the run-up to the playoffs, when Martin St-Louis didn’t trust his #2 goalie, the Québécois played a lot. And he was inevitably tired, apart from that.

In fact, only five goaltenders got at least 60 starts this season in the NHL. As L’Antichambre tells us, two didn’t make the playoffs, two performed poorly in the playoffs… and Montembeault was injured.

I’m clearly of the school of those who want to see Monty play less in 2025-2026. And I’m not saying that because I don’t think Montembeault is a bad goalie. On the contrary: I think he’d be even better with a little rest.

That’s likely to be the plan, since the Habs seem to want Jakub Dobes to give Montembeault a hard time to keep his #1 spot, as Maxime Truman once said.

Remember that right now, the plan would also be for Jacob Fowler to be backed up by a veteran next year in Laval.

That doesn’t leave much room for Cayden Primeau, whom everyone (or almost everyone) sees leaving this summer. Few, like PJ Stock, see Primeau starting the season in Montreal… even if it’s only to be traded later.

Let’s also remember that in the bank of prospects, the Habs have a few guys: Emmett Croteau, Quentin Miller, Mikus Vecvanags, Joe Vrbetic and Yevgeni Volokhin, a Russian goalie.

The latter, as the folks at RG Media have informed us, has his sights set on the NHL. But it won’t happen right away.

overtime

– The Habs will be in action.

– News from CF Montreal.

– Interesting.

– Oh?

– The Islanders must rebuild.