Samuel Montembeault’s expected return in about two weeks is about to put the Canadiens in a bind they probably hoped to avoid.
Renaud Lavoie reports that Montembeault should be back in Montreal soon, and that means the organization is staring at a messy three-goalie situation. It’s an unfortunate turn in Montembeault’s return-to-play process, especially with a chance to get more games and reclaim a bigger role while Jakub Dobes has been going through some struggles.
Montembeault was in Winnipeg to back up his teammates during the Heritage Classic, and Nick Suzuki was there as well. Suzuki, however, will head back to Montreal after the game instead of joining the team in Dallas.
The bigger issue for the Canadiens is what happens once Montembeault is ready. Jacob Fowler has clearly seized the net for now, posting a .910 save percentage through five games. At this point, sending him back to the Laval Rocket, as the club did earlier in the season, would make no sense.
That leaves Montreal with a problem, because neither Montembeault nor Dobes can be sent to Laval without clearing waivers. Dobes has an .847 save percentage through five games, and he is on a three-year contract worth $16.07 million.
Kent Hughes already said earlier this season that he did not want to keep three goaltenders on the roster. This time, though, the Canadiens may have no real choice.
Montembeault is under contract at $3.15 million, and his deal expires next summer. The Rangers signed James Reimer earlier today, which does not fully shut the door on a trade with New York, but it does close off one possible path for Montreal.
For now, the Canadiens have a little breathing room. They sit at 5-3-2, and aside from the current trip, they won’t have another road swing longer than three games before January. That gives them time, but not much room for error, to sort out what comes next.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have Real Reason To Watch Dylan Larkin
Nick Suzukis injury has left the Canadiens looking for center help, and that search has naturally pushed Dylan Larkin into the conversation. Chris Johnston reported that Montreals interest is real and that general manager Kent Hughes has already prepared an offer, which gives the rumor more weight than a typical deadline-day whisper. For a team trying to stabilize its middle down the stretch, even the possibility of landing a legitimate top-six center is enough to keep the spotlight on a player of Larkins caliber.
Johnston also noted there is at least some optimism around Larkin being open to thinking about Montreal, even if a move does not appear close right now. His no-trade list reportedly does not include Canadian clubs, which keeps the Canadiens in the frame as they look for a way to address their depth issues without waiting for the market to solve itself. For now, it is more a reason to watch than a reason to expect action, but it is still a notable shift for a team that badly needs answers at center. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans May Not Like What Dobson Means For Edvinsson
The Noah Dobson trade already gave Canadiens fans a clear measuring stick for what a top-end young defenseman can cost in todays market. Montreal paid Emil Heineman and two 2025 first-round picks to land Dobson, a price that immediately framed how expensive it is to pry away a player who can anchor a blue line for years.
Pierre LeBruns comparison only sharpens that reality when Simon Edvinsson enters the conversation. The young Detroit defenseman is viewed as a top-four piece with plenty of upside, and any trade for him would require a major haul, the kind that makes Montreals Dobson package look less like an outlier and more like the starting point for a bigger discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Center Decision After Suzuki Injury
Nick Suzukis injury has left Montreal with a center question it did not expect to be dealing with this soon, and the waiver wire has quickly become part of the conversation. Georgii Merkulov is among the names available, along with Jack Ahcan and Kurtis MacDermid, while recent claims on Daemon Hunt and Jack St. Ivany have already shown that teams are willing to move on these players before the market tightens further.
For the Canadiens, Merkulov stands out as a possible fit because of his strong AHL production and the need for another option down the middle. The timing adds another layer of interest, with Winnipeg also dealing with a defenseman absence ahead of its meeting with Montreal, but the real question for Kent Hughes is whether the waiver process will even give the Canadiens a clean shot at addressing Suzukis absence the way they want. [Read more 🡒]