Time To Chat About Jakub Dobes’ Role

Coming off a 6-1 loss where Dobes got pulled after the first period on Tuesday, it’s definitely hard to think of him positively, but the reality is that if put into the right role, he can still be a very good goaltender as the 2nd option in an evenly split tandem. However, the current situation in Montreal is not allowing that for Dobes. If we look at how he normally plays after getting a single game off (aside from the Colorado game), it shows that Dobes is a lot better with rest than when the games start accumulating for him. However, if he goes a long period without a start, as he did ahead of the game against the Dallas Stars, he may come in cold and struggle to get his game going. This is why he is better as the 2nd option in a tandem, where he plays at least once a week and sometimes 2 out of 3 games depending on the situation. This will allow Dobes to not get cold but also not get overworked, as he has over the last couple of games.

Looking at his stats following a Samuel Montembeault start, his numbers haven’t been as great lately, but he did post his best game in weeks during the 3-2 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets last Wednesday after getting some rest between Saturday and Wednesday. He posted a .938 save percentage and stopped 30 of 32 shots in a game dominated by both netminders. Now, that easily could have still been the same case had he played against the Ottawa Senators the night before instead too, as he would have still had a good amount of time between his starts, but this still proves the point that when he’s fresh but isn’t too rested, he is much more on his game.

The next game against the Toronto Maple Leafs was two days later, and he helped lead the Habs to a 2-1 shootout win and played great yet again. He wasn’t tested too much in the game, so the Canadiens possibly thought he could play a 2nd game in 24 hours. Unfortunately, against the St. Louis Blues, he had shaky moments where he wasn’t able to bail out his team on their couple of defensive lapses as he had in his previous 2 starts.

Then when he had his 3rd start in 4 nights, the wheels completely fell off due to fatigue. This, in fact, got us to learn the exact amount of playing time that Dobes can play in a single week without getting overtired, which is about 2 games a week. This is why the Canadiens need to make sure they have someone else who can keep the Habs in games going forward so that Dobes can continue to play just two games at most every week. Considering 1/3 of the NHL season is over, Montembeault’s continued issues are showing that he can’t be that guy. Therefore, the Habs will need to look elsewhere at this point. There’s a chance that Jacob Fowler can help lessen Dobes’ load successfully this week.

However, this early into Fowler’s career, it’s too soon to be anything more than a quick NHL stint to judge just how far along he is in his development. Essentially, this means whether or not he could be ready for an NHL role next season or whether another year after this one is better for him. The Habs shouldn’t rush him, as it could destroy his development.

The reason why he’s getting this chance to play this week is that since Kaapo Kahkonen hasn’t played an AHL game since he was sent back down after being called up for Sunday’s game to be Dobes’ backup, he is ineligible to be called up until he plays at least one AHL game, as per a new rule in the NHL. After the recent struggles in nets, the Habs are looking for a change, and Fowler can be that for a week, but he needs to go back and continue his development. At that point, Kahkonen may get a shot at playing next week.

If I were to guess, I expect Fowler to play 2 out of 3 games this weekend, with Dobes getting the other one, before he goes down for Kahkonen’s opportunity.

If Kahkonen works out and can play 1 out of 3 matchups to help Dobes carry the load while Montembeault figures his stuff out, it may prove to be very beneficial for the young Czech goaltender long-term.