Montreal Canadiens Role Profiles: Samuel Montembeault

As we get into the dog days of summer and until training camp, thesickpodcast.com will profile Montreal Canadiens players based on their expected role for the 2026-27 NHL season.

Last season, goaltender Samuel Montembeault had a disastrous year, where he fell from the team’s starting netminder to their third goalie by the end of the regular season. With that being said, does he still have a role with the Montreal Canadiens or will they need to move on from Montembeault?

It should be noted that the Canadiens’ original plan to start the 2026-27 season was to have Jacob Fowler as the backup goaltender, as I previously mentioned in the young netminder’s role profile earlier this week. On the other hand, that plan also expected Montembeault to be traded during the off-season, which has yet to happen.

The closer the Montreal Canadiens get to mid-September training camp, the more likely it seems the veteran goaltender will end up starting the year in Montreal. Therefore, the plans could end up changing for the Canadiens and Montembeault has a chance to become Jakub Dobes’ backup to start the year.

Not to mention, Fowler could go down to the Laval Rocket without waivers, to make sure that there are only two goalies at the NHL level. This would likely be a good situation for both Fowler and Montembeault if the Canadiens were to do that. As I mentioned on Wednesday, Fowler will get more starts in the AHL than if he were to be Dobes’ backup, allowing him to develop his game with more playing time. Whereas, being the NHL backup could allow Montembeault to either prove that he can be a solid backup for the Canadiens or up his trade value to later be moved to another team in need of goaltending help.

The second scenario with Montembeault would probably be the situation that the Canadiens will eventually want to opt for regarding Montembeault, considering that sources close to the Montreal Canadiens have said they want Fowler to play in the NHL during the 2026-27 campaign. Although, it’s possible that the Canadiens change their mind and could want Montembeault to stay on as the team’s backup for the final year of his three-year contract. 

Montembeault has proven that he can be a very solid NHL goaltender aside from the 2025-26 season, when his .872 save percentage ranked 58th among goaltenders who played 25+ games. If he can get back to the goaltender that plays around a .900 save percentage like he had the previous three years, Montembeault has the ability to play a good 25-30 games for the Canadiens.

https://twitter.com/ChrisHabs360/status/2065177433557352597

Goalies often have up-and-down years, especially those who are not part of the elite netminder group. Therefore, it can be argued that the 2025-26 season was a major down year for Montembeault and with a good summer of training that he can return to the goaltender that he showed himself to be during his first four years as a Montreal Canadien. Sometimes all a goalie needs is a summer away from the pressure, and he can be back to his old self.

Another case that can work in Montembeault’s favour for being the backup to start the 2026-27 season is that Dobes just finished his first full NHL season and Fowler is just entering his second year as a pro. This means that aside from Montembeault, the Canadiens’ netminders lack pro experience. Sure, the plan is most likely that the two young goaltenders work as a tandem for the next few years, but early on in the season having a veteran netminder around the team would be good for Dobes, who has officially been given the reins as the starter. 

It seems inevitable that the Canadiens’ plan is to eventually move away from Montembeault, but whether it’s before training camp, during the season, or whether they let him walk in free agency remains to be seen. Despite the horrible 2025-26 campaign, as long as Montembeault is still with the Canadiens organization, he deserves a chance to show that he can bounce back. 

If things really go horribly with Montembeault once again, there is the possibility that they can waive him and call up Fowler to back up Dobes, just like last season. In that case, they will probably keep him buried in the minors before simply letting him go in the off-season.

As it stands, with Montembeault still on the team, the Canadiens shouldn’t deny him a chance to start the year in the NHL. Only time will tell if Montembeault will have a role on the Canadiens or if he will be moved before the season starts.