Potential Trade Partners For Samuel Montembeault

For a team like the Oilers to go far in the playoffs, they don’t need a star netminder but someone who is serviceable, like Montembeault has been for the Habs in the early years of the rebuild. At the same time, there will be pressure come playoff time, as they will need big saves to get back to at least a position that they were in about a year ago. He struggled with being a starting goalie on a playoff contender for the first time at the beginning of the 2025-26 season, which led to him losing his spot entirely on the Habs.

However, with the elite offence that the Oilers have up front, he wouldn’t need to be as good as he needed to be in Montreal. The Oilers have gotten to the Stanley Cup Finals twice with Stuart Skinner, who is about the same calibre as Montembeault when they are both on top of their games. Given how the Oilers’ experiment with Tristan Jarry failed to work out for them and the pressure to help Connor McDavid as well as Leon Draisaitl win a Stanley Cup, they will likely be very aggressive in the goaltending market. Montembeault may not be the #1 option, but he is one who could help the Oilers.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

The Pittsburgh Penguins are another team that has a fit for Montembeault, as they will likely be looking for a 1A/1B option to split duties with Arturs Silovs. By not needing to be a #1 guy and being in a tandem, it can take a lot of pressure off the Quebecois goaltender, which could allow him to re-find the game that led to him earning a starting job during the Habs rebuild.

Last season, the Penguins traded Jarry for Skinner and Brett Kulak. At first, Skinner looked good with the Penguins, but he struggled heavily in the playoffs and was passed over in the postseason by Silovs, which has led to Skinner now testing free agency and the Penguins having a clear hole in net. Thanks to Silovs, the Penguins shouldn’t be looking for a starting netminder but rather that 1B option that Montembeault fits well.

Florida Panthers:

A return to the Florida Panthers should not be out of the question for Montembeault, as both their goaltenders, Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov, are UFAs. The Panthers will likely lose Tarasov as a result and should bring Bobrovsky back on a bit of a cheaper deal but even that isn’t guaranteed. However, even if Bobrovsky comes back, the 2-time Stanley Cup champion is getting older, he will likely need a solid goaltender who has proven to be a solid netminder for 30-35 games to back him up, which is where Montembeault could come in.

In this case, Montembeault would be going to a team where he already knows the environment, as he played there for the first few years of his NHL career before the Habs claimed him on waivers in September 2021. With that being said, playing somewhere he feels some familiarity without the pressure of playing in his home province as a starter could be something that helps the 29-year-old bounce back.

New York Rangers

Another team that will be in the market for a goaltender is the New York Rangers, who will be looking for some depth to play behind Igor Shesterkin next season. The Rangers are losing Jonathan Quick, who has officially taken his retirement and will need to fill that spot. While this may be fewer games overall for Montembeault to play, there is no denying that he can be the guy who can support Shesterkin, who may play up to 60-65 games as one of the most elite goaltenders in the NHL.

The positive for Montembeault is that while he may get a limited amount of games behind Shesterkin, he would be able to play without the pressure of winning his starts, which in turn could help him perform better for another contract during the summer of 2027. One other positive is that the Rangers are entering a rebuild and aren’t particularly looking to compete; therefore, like in Pittsburgh, this type of situation could be exactly what he needs. The difference is that he would only play less in New York if he were to play there.

Where do you see Montembeault getting traded to this summer?