Has Dobes Done Enough To Be A Calder Candidate?

At the end of the day, we should still expect that Schaefer will win the Calder, but Dobes’ play over the last month may have made it more interesting than it was originally. Despite having played 16 games in the 2024-25 season as well as 3 playoff games, Dobes still qualified as a rookie this year. He has had multiple good runs throughout the season that earned him the starting job in the process, but it wasn’t until March that he started taking over games. During the month of March, Dobes started 10 games, where he had a 7-3 record alongside a. 927 save percentage and 2.21 GAA, which is close to as good as his October when he went 6-0 with a .930 save percentage and 1.97 GAA. Although if we take away the first game of March, where Dobes had a rough night, allowing 6 goals on 27 shots in a 7-5 loss to the San Jose Sharks, his numbers improve to a .942 save percentage and 1.78 GAA.

Therefore, this is officially the best run of Dobes’ NHL career, surpassing his incredible October, when he was even named 3rd Star of the month back then. Despite his dominance as of late, he fell short of being named a star for the month of March, as there were a few offensive stars who got the nod instead. Nonetheless, that doesn’t discount just how incredible he has been over his past 9 games. The fact that he has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last 5 games proves that he gives the Habs a chance every night, and he deserves to be recognized for it.

Something to help Dobes’ case in the argument that he should be considered a serious challenger for the Calder Trophy is that his 26 wins are a wide margin in front of any other rookie netminder (Yaroslav Askarov has 20 victories while playing 5 more games), and he has recently carried the Habs from a bubble playoff team to a near lock for the 2026 postseason as the team’s main reason for their current 6-game winning streak.

There have been multiple situations where the Canadiens didn’t start the game on the right track, including both matchups vs. the Hurricanes, but Dobes would make big saves and keep his team in the game long enough for them to find their legs and complete comebacks.

With the way Dobes is playing, he has to be turning heads around the NHL, as he has pushed the Canadiens to become one of the most deadly teams in the NHL, despite being the second youngest team in the league. It is also worth noting after being the 3rd Star of the Week for last week’s performances, he was given Molson Cup honours for the month of March. He will be presented with the trophy when the Habs return to the Bell Centre to take on the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

It may be too late to make a run at the Vezina Trophy, but Dobes has certainly done everything he can to be a legit contender for the Calder Trophy, as he is a huge reason why the Habs are sitting comfortably in a playoff spot. In fact, Ivan Demidov has seemed like the second-best rookie for much of the season, but Dobes’ play the last while may be able to dethrone his teammate in Calder votes.

If Dobes continues to stay hot there is a chance the young Canadiens could finish first in the Atlantic Division as they are only four points back of the Buffalo Sabres for the lead. By doing that it may even allow him to seriously challenge Schaefer, especially if the New York Islanders end up missing the playoffs.

In conclusion, yes Dobes is a huge reason for all the Habs success are having right now and he deserves the recognition for making the team a serious threat heading towards the playoffs. The only question is can it continue after the regular season?