Montreal Canadiens Options in Net, Right Now

The Montreal Canadiens are currently in freefall. After a hot start to their year that saw them in second place overall, the Canadiens are now outside the playoff picture. They have dropped their last five games and look like a shell of the team that began the season. Furthermore, injuries have caught up to them. Despite injury troubles, goaltending has been largely to blame for this collapse. Sam Montembeault has struggled all season and has some of the worst numbers in the league. Meanwhile, Jakub Dobes, who started the year 6-0, has lost all his confidence as well. With both goalies unable to make a save, Canadiens fans are left looking for a solution. Let’s take a look at some goalie options moving forward for Montreal.

Montreal Canadiens Solutions for Goalies

The Montreal Canadiens signed veteran goalie Kaapo Kahkonen in the offseason. Although he lost the backup job to Dobes, he still provides the organization with injury insurance. However, at this point, he may need to be called up to right the ship with the NHL team. The 29-year-old has never been an elite goalie at the highest level. However, he brings with him 14o games of NHL experience. Furthermore, he has posted solid numbers in his six contests with the AHL’s Laval Rocket this season. Frankly, Kahkonen can’t perform any worse than what we’ve seen from Montreal’s goalies thus far. Bringing him up for a few games could, at the very least, give Montembeault and Dobes a chance to settle down and sort out their games.

Call up Kahkonen or Fowler From Laval

Laval also has Montreal’s expected goalie of the future in Jacob Fowler. The 20-year-old has had an impressive start in his first pro season in the AHL. Calling him up and giving him his first taste of NHL action may be the move. However, this always runs the risk of bringing up a youngster too soon and having their confidence shaken. Fowler’s confidence and poise have been highlighted, which is a major reason the Canadiens opted to draft him. He seems like the type of goaltender who can handle a pressure market like Montreal. However, the Canadiens will have to weigh whether or not calling him up during this mess is the right move or if it’s one out of panic. Regardless, it’s unlikely that a handful of NHL starts would do any harm to Fowler’s development.

Make a Move for Help in the Crease

Unfortunately for Montreal, a move in the crease via trade or signing seems unlikely at this juncture. The free agent market doesn’t boast any goaltending help that would be an upgrade over what they already have. Rather than signing someone who hasn’t played this season, they would be better off just calling up Kahkonen.

Furthermore, trading for an impact goalie doesn’t seem realistic mid-season. Especially with the NHL standings so tight right now, very few teams would be willing to throw in the towel and trade away a goaltender who could immediately help the Canadiens. With very few external options available, Montreal will have to look internally to fix its goaltending woes.

Ride Out the Storm With Montembeault and Dobes

The final solution for Montreal is to ride out the storm with their duo in the crease. However, with every passing game, players, brass, and fans are losing more confidence in the Canadiens goalies. The longer the team continues to lose due to poor goaltending, the more unlikely it becomes that they opt to stick it out with Montembeault and Dobes.

Martin St. Louis stated at Friday’s practice that he is unsure who will be in the net for Saturday’s clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He appears to be visibly frustrated with the Canadiens goalie situation, as is everyone else in the organization. At this point, Montembeault and Dobes are on an extremely short leash. Don’t be surprised to see one of Kahkonen or Fowler in the net for Montreal in the coming games.