The Problem with Jakub Dobes (and the Montreal Media)

If we dig a little deeper and look at the advanced stats, we also come to the same conclusion. Dobes has allowed 18 goals since the start of the season, but he should have allowed only 13 (xG against).

And Fowler? He's allowed 6, but he should have allowed 8.

I don't think I'm wrong in saying that if Martin St-Louis and Marco Marciano had started Jacob Fowler yesterday, the Canadiens would have one or two more points in the standings this morning. And the points earned early in the season are just as important as those earned in March!

Martin St-Louis' comments after the game are crystal clear to me.

Only the Flyers have allowed more goals than the Habs this season in the East, and Jacob Fowler has very good stats, so…

Last year, the Canadiens too often put Samuel Montembeault back in net when it was Jakub Dobes who deserved the start. They won't make the same mistake this season. They've given Jacob Fowler three straight starts, and I'd bet a lot of money that it'll be Fowler facing the Sabres (again) at the Bell Centre on Saturday.

The problem, in my humble opinion, is that many of us heard over the summer that Dobes had taken it easy, that he felt like he'd “made it,” that he'd been having way too much fun, and that he didn't arrive at camp in top shape—physically and/or mentally. We know it: it's hard to stay at the top, and he arrived less prepared to face this tougher challenge. He was less hungry.

The expectations for him are much higher than last year. He's no longer a guy who can simply surprise; he's a guy who HAS to prove himself. It's not the same anymore.

A few of us know that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes weren't happy with Dobes's training camp and that they REALLY don't like how he's started the season. I said it yesterday: this makes them look bad. It looks like they gave more than $5 million per season to a goalie they might have been able to sign for $3 million if they'd waited.

It looks like they acted too quickly, even though Dobes still had a year left on his contract.

And God knows that a goaltender's value—which is already lower than that of forwards and impact defensemen—can plummet quickly. Samuel Montembeault was worth something after the Four Nations Tournament, and he's worth almost nothing after just ONE tough season.

Connor Hellebuyck may be the best goalie in the NHL (during the regular season), and no one has bothered to make the Jets an attractive offer so far.

Let me get back to the issue…

One day, my friend Nilton told me this: many people in the media wait to see the bravest ones test the waters before taking the plunge themselves. They don't want to be the first to go a little against the grain, to open doors, or to break sensitive stories.

They don't want to upset certain organizations, they don't want to look crazy, and they don't want to get torn apart by the most emotional fans.

I get the impression that's kind of what happened with Jakub Dobes this fall: several journalists covering the beat didn't want to criticize Jakub Dobes, waiting for the tide to turn in that direction. It's less risky—and less courageous—to write about the rough start to the season today, right, Jo?

But I promise, I'm getting to the problem—for them, at least.

By accusing us of daring to criticize Jakub Dobes, they've given us a great opportunity to remind everyone why DansLesCoulisses.com exists. Here, we'll always be positive when it's positive and negative when it's negative. We'll never ask anyone for permission to have an opinion.

And we don't need accreditation to say what we think about a goalie's performance.

A figure from the sports media world told me this earlier this week:

“RDS is a partner of the Canadiens, TVA (and by extension, JDM and QUB Radio) is a partner of the NHL, and 98.5 FM is a partner of the Canadiens. Sportsnet and TSN are also partners of the CH or the NHL. Many podcasts are now hosted by people employed by these partner networks. There aren't many people left who cover the Canadiens with complete neutrality.”

In fact, there's still BPM Sports, DansLesCoulisses, La Presse, and Radio-Canada. And other independent sites.

La Presse and Radio-Canada have chosen to remain fairly positive in their coverage, and that's fine. They do have a financial structure that would allow them to take a tougher stance, but I respect their choice.

BPM's coverage varies from show to show, which offers something for everyone. Some contributors have more freedom than on other networks, and that sometimes leads to some very good debates.

But pretty much everyone has an employer that spends a lot of money to be a partner of the CH. That really colors the sports coverage…

When people say the Montreal media is mean, let's just say it makes me smile. We're damn soft here in Quebec. Except for David Garel, of course…

Personally, I think Montreal fans deserve better. They deserve coverage that's a little more neutral and a little more truthful. That's my opinion, and I'm going to stand by it—even if it gets me my fair share of hate.

I'm used to breaking new ground and riding waves that aren't yet solid and steady.

Make no mistake, though—I'm just waiting to see Jakub Dobes bounce back. And when it happens again—if it happens again—I'll be the first to praise him for his resilience and mental toughness. Except that I report on reality, not my wishes.

Overtime

It was still kind of special having to watch our two professional men's sports teams on streaming services yesterday.

The Canadiens were streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, and CF Montréal on Apple TV.

On our traditional sports channels, all we got were reruns and hunting and fishing shows.

A sign that times are changing and we need to adapt.