The Canadiens’ goaltending picture got a little messier on waivers Monday, and the timing could hardly be worse for Kent Hughes.
Chicago put Arvid Soderblom on waivers, while Washington did the same with Remi Poirier. But it’s Soderblom’s situation that matters most in Montreal, because it adds another layer to a decision Hughes has already been weighing for weeks.
Samuel Montembeault is still on injured reserve and in the final stretch of his contract, which has already made his future with the Canadiens uncertain. Now, with another goalie available, the pressure around Montreal’s next move only grows.
That uncertainty comes at a time when Jacob Fowler keeps giving the Canadiens reasons to believe. In yesterday’s 4-2 win over Toronto, he stopped 26 of 28 shots and strengthened the case that Montreal can trust him in goal.
So the question is getting louder: what happens when all of Montreal’s goaltenders are healthy?
Darren Dreger had already reported that teams had reached out to the Canadiens about Montembeault, with a forward potentially coming back in a trade. Soderblom’s presence on waivers now adds a different kind of risk to the equation.
If the 27-year-old is claimed in the next 24 hours, it becomes hard to imagine Montembeault getting through waivers unclaimed. For Hughes, that’s a gamble with very little upside. Letting a goalie with 233 NHL games on his résumé walk away for nothing would be a tough move to defend.
Soderblom has 117 NHL games under his belt, but Chicago’s season hasn’t done him any favors. The Blackhawks are 31st overall at 4-13-1 and have dropped six straight.
His most recent outing didn’t help his case either. In about 29 minutes during a 9-2 loss to Carolina, Soderblom allowed three goals on 16 shots.
Montreal’s situation is very different. The Canadiens are fifth overall at 11-3-3 and have gone 8-0-2 over their last 10, which gives Hughes more room to wait and see how the market develops.
Dreger also said the Canadiens want to handle Montembeault’s situation respectfully if Fowler ends up taking over. Exposing Montembeault to waivers would not fit that approach.
Poirier, a Farnham, Quebec native who has not yet appeared in an NHL game, is another goalie to keep an eye on. But for Montreal, Soderblom’s waiver status may simply help clarify the market.
The bigger call still belongs to Hughes, and Montembeault remains the story that matters most.
In Other News...
Canadiens Took Control Of Toronto Then Had To Survive A Scare
Montreal looked in command for most of the night against Toronto, skating out to a 3-0 lead and getting a big offensive push from Alex Newhook, who scored twice in the win. For a team that has been trying to stack points and keep building momentum, it was the kind of start that suggested a tidy road victory was there to be had.
Instead, the third period turned into a test of nerve. The Maple Leafs scored twice to make things uncomfortable, but the Canadiens answered with a power-play goal to regain control and then survived a double-minor penalty to close out the 4-2 victory, a finish that was far less routine than the early lead had promised. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Evans Just Reignited A Canadiens Rumor Fans Can't Ignore
Jake Evans managed to stir up a familiar kind of Canadiens chatter this week when he said any player would want to play in Montreal, a comment that immediately sent fans back to the same place they always seem to land when a big-name center becomes available. The idea of Dylan Larkin in a Canadiens sweater has been floating around the edges of the rumor mill for a while, and Evans remark only gave it fresh oxygen as Montreal continues its strong start and keeps looking like a team worth thinking about in bigger-picture terms.
The problem, as always, is that the fit is not nearly as simple as the fantasy. Larkin has asked for a trade, Detroits situation keeps inviting speculation, and the possibility of a multi-team deal is the kind of thing that naturally gets discussed when a player of his stature is involved. But Montreal remains the tricky part of the equation, and until that changes, the Canadiens can enjoy the buzz without assuming it means much more than another round of offseason-style intrigue in the middle of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Fowlers Response To That Canadiens Collapse Said Everything
Jacob Fowler had every reason to let the Winnipeg loss linger. He had already turned aside 42 shots before the Canadiens watched a lead slip away with four goals against late in the third period, the kind of collapse that can hang over a room for a while. Instead, the young goaltender came back with the same calm edge the next time out, and teammates and coaches took notice of how steady he stayed through the whole stretch.
Against Toronto, Fowler looked every bit like a goalie who had moved on from the disappointment without carrying it into the crease. He stopped 26 of 28 shots in a 4-2 Montreal win, and the response only added to the sense that the Canadiens have something mature beyond his years in net. For a team trying to build confidence, the way Fowler handled the setback may have said as much as the saves themselves. [Read more 🡒]