The Habs Need To Fix Samuel Montembeault

Over the last few years, Montembeault had slowly become a proven starting goaltender in the NHL, but for the first time since being claimed on waivers during September of 2021, he has really struggled to find his game. It seems as if Samuel Montembeault is playing very nervously and has no confidence in his game. At this point, it’s no longer a few bad outings for the Quebecois netminder, but it’s gotten to the point that he will need outside help to find his game. 

Since the home opener against the Seattle Kraken, Montembeault’s play has gotten worse in each of his 3 starts, which includes an awful .793 save percentage on Thursday night against the Edmonton Oilers. The main issue seems to be his stance this season; instead of standing in the middle of his crease, he seems to be playing too far in his net. In the past, he stood in front of his net, which gave him better control of his crease.

It is a known thing that goaltenders need to stay in the middle of their crease and not in their net. It makes you wonder if Montembeault is not just playing nervously but as if he’s afraid to mess up or get hurt. There is a serious possibility that he could be suffering mentally still from the groin injury that took him out of the Playoffs last season. Given that his only injury in the NHL before that was a wrist injury, which he was out for less than a week With that being said, it’s very possible that having a somewhat significant injury has affected him mentally.

If this is the case, the Habs should get him to meet with a sports psychologist to get back on his game again. There’s no way that he’s able to be a top 20 goaltender in the NHL, like he proved last season. This time around, he won’t get over-fatigued, as Dobes is clearly showing he can, at the very least, be part of a split tandem. 

In reality, if Montembeault can get back to being an above .905 goaltender, the Habs should give him and Dobes a split of the games, but for now, the Canadiens need to work with Montembeault to figure out what is going on with him so they can get a good 2nd goaltender to push for the playoffs again this year. 

As good as Dobes is, he can’t play every single game. Over-fatigue is a serious issue when it comes to goalies, so the Habs better figure something out quickly with Montembeault.

What do you think is the main issue holding Montembeault back this year?