The Canadiens’ goaltending picture is getting crowded fast, and Jakub Dobes is suddenly part of the conversation for all the wrong reasons.
According to Dans Les Coulisses, Dobes’ three-year contract is reportedly creating some discomfort inside the Montreal front office. The deal is already drawing attention because it looks pricey for a backup, and the concerns around it appear to go beyond simple cap math.
Maxime Truman reports that several people had heard over the summer that Dobes wasn’t taking things seriously enough and had not shown up to training camp in his best shape. Those are secondhand claims, so they should be handled carefully, but they would help explain why the situation has become tense.
Truman also says Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton reportedly were not satisfied with Dobes’ training camp or with how he opened the season. “Not one bit.”
The on-ice numbers don’t exactly calm the noise. Dobes, 25, has an .847 save percentage through five starts. He is making $965,000 this season before the new deal, which will pay him $5.36 million annually once it kicks in.
That kind of money is a tough sell for a backup goaltender projected to appear in the 27-to-33 game range.
It’s also a sharp reminder of how quickly the market can shift at the position. Samuel Montembeault still had strong value after the 4 Nations Face-Off, but after a difficult season, that value has nearly vanished.
For now, the Canadiens appear to be moving ahead with Fowler as their No. 1 goaltender, especially after his remarkable shutout performance last night. Montembeault is expected back soon, which means Kent Hughes will be juggling three goaltenders. That setup could get tricky in a hurry.
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Canadiens May Have Found Their Goalie Of The Future Early
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For Montreal, the appeal goes beyond the hot start. Fowler already looks like a possible steal relative to the five goalies selected ahead of him, which only adds to the intrigue around a franchise that has long been searching for stability in net. Still, seven games is seven games, and the Canadiens know enough not to crown anyone too early. Even so, Fowler has given them a glimpse of a future that may have arrived sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets May Have A Bigger Voronkov Decision Than Fans Realize
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For the Canadiens, the appeal is obvious: Voronkov fits the profile of a big-bodied forward who could add a different look to the group if Columbus decides to move him. The question is whether the Blue Jackets will simply listen, or whether they are ready to make a real decision on a player whose value still comes from what he can be, not just what he has done so far this season. [Read more 🡒]
Zachary Bolduc Is Making This Canadiens Trade Look Very Different
Zachary Bolduc has already given Montreal plenty to like since arriving in the trade with St. Louis, and his latest performance only added to the early buzz. Against the Blues, the winger found the net in a 2-0 Canadiens win, another sign that his start in Montreal has been far more than a small-sample fluke. Through 12 games, he has piled up five goals and two assists, a strong opening stretch for a player the Canadiens are counting on to bring offense and energy.
For now, the other side of the deal is harder to evaluate, which is what keeps this trade from being neatly judged just yet. Logan Mailloux was sent to St. Louis, but his path to making an immediate impact has been interrupted, leaving Montreal with a very different-looking return in the short term. Bolduc is helping the Canadiens right away, while the fuller picture of what the trade becomes still has some time to develop. [Read more 🡒]