Samuel Montembeault’s name is suddenly in the trade conversation, and Darren Dreger thinks the Montreal Canadiens may be ready to handle the situation the right way if their young goaltending duo keeps rolling.
The veteran netminder has not played this season and is currently on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. He has already missed time and is expected to be out for at least a few more days, but the bigger question is what happens when he’s healthy again.
Montreal has a younger tandem in place with Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes, and that reality is starting to shape the conversation around Montembeault. Dreger said teams have already reached out to the Canadiens about him, with Kent Hughes possibly looking for a forward in return.
One possible destination that stands out is the New York Rangers.
Montreal’s situation in goal is complicated by how well things are going overall. The Canadiens are 10-3-3, sit sixth in the NHL, and have gone 7-1-2 over their last 10 games. With results like that, there’s little pressure to force a change in net.
Still, the long-term picture is becoming clearer. Dobes has already signed an extension, while Fowler’s entry-level deal runs through 2027-28. If both continue to share the crease and keep performing, Montembeault could end up on the outside looking in.
His contract adds another layer to the decision. Montembeault carries a cap hit just over $3 million and is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
At 30, and with 231 NHL games on his résumé, he may not be interested in spending a season stuck on the bench. Dreger made that point directly on the McKenna and Starr show on October 30:
"I think the Canadiens are gonna wanna do right by Sam Montembeault; if...it becomes obvious it is the 1-2 punch of Fowler and Dobes...I do think that they will give Montembeault the opportunity to play somewhere else."
The Rangers would make sense as a landing spot if Montreal decides to move him. New York is 9-7-1, sits third in the Metropolitan Division and has been strong at home, winning eight of 10 games there while going just 1 of 7 on the road.
For now, though, nothing is close. Montreal’s immediate attention is on tonight’s game in Toronto. But if Fowler and Dobes keep sharing the workload, the Montembeault question is only going to get louder.
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Demidovs return had already been pushed beyond the original target date, and the earliest realistic window now points to mid-November. The bigger takeaway for the Canadiens is that all three players appear to be moving toward a return before the end of the month, which would give Martin St. Louis more flexibility in a stretch where every lineup decision has mattered. [Read more 🡒]