The Canadiens May Have Already Made Their Goalie Decision

The odd man out for the Montreal Canadiens in goal probably isn’t Jakub Dobes—it’s Sam Montembeault. On paper, it’s simple: Jakub Dobes is the incumbent, and nothing should change in training camp because he basically played the role of “No. 1” during the stretch run and playoffs. And since the Canadiens picked top prospect Jacob Fowler as Dobes’ backup in the postseason, it tells you the organization is looking at Fowler as the future goalie plan.

If that’s the internal story, why would they mess with it?

Montembeault Won’t Likely Pass Through Waivers, and That’s a Problem

Here’s why. The real wrench is Montembeault and the waiver situation. Fowler being exempt from waivers sounds like the Canadiens have flexibility, but Montembeault doesn’t. If the team decides to cut him (or even move him to the minors), there’s real risk he gets claimed. Asset-management-wise, that’s the opposite of what you want. That’s also especially true if you believe Montembeault’s value is slipping and his contract situation basically runs out soon anyway.

So what does that mean for how they’ll run things this season? Unless the Canadiens do some kind of wild three-goalie rotation (which would be weird and unnecessary), they’re likely to settle into the tandem that already made sense in the playoffs: Dobes and Fowler.