The Canadiens suddenly have a goalie problem they can live with, while the Rangers are staring at one they may not be able to solve without outside help.
Montreal has already dealt with injuries to Kaiden Guhle, Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov, and Samuel Montembeault, but the situation in New York is far more dire. Igor Shesterkin is done for the season after a gruesome lower-body injury, and Joonas Korpisalo is also out for four weeks. That leaves the Rangers with rookies Dylan Garland and Callum Tung in goal, a tandem that has only five games of NHL experience combined.
In Montreal, Montembeault’s absence for 10 to 14 days has not triggered the same alarm. That’s because Jacob Fowler has shown he can handle NHL minutes right now.
The Florida native turned in a statement performance Saturday night, stopping 30 shots in 65 minutes and then another six in the shootout. He was calm, clean, and in control, with positioning that made everything look easier than it should have.
For some in the building, it brought back memories of Carey Price.
It was Fowler’s second straight appearance. He didn’t win his first start, but he played well enough to earn another look and keep Jakub Dobes on the bench. Once Montembeault is healthy, Montreal will have to send Fowler back to the AHL unless another move is made.
That’s where the Rangers enter the picture. Kent Hughes has already made it clear he doesn’t want another three-goalie carousel this season, but if Montreal can find a trade partner for Montembeault, Fowler could stick around.
And New York may have reason to listen. According to Frank Seravalli, the Rangers have placed Shesterkin on LTIR, but not season-ending LTIR, which gives them $3.97 million in cap space.
That would make taking on Montembeault’s $3.15 million contract very doable.
Montembeault was not moved this summer because the Canadiens never got an offer they considered strong enough for the Becancour native. Now the market could be different. With the Rangers in such a shaky spot in net, they may be more willing to meet Montreal’s price.
A trade between these two teams would not have seemed obvious not long ago, especially after New York fired Jeff Gorton in 2021. But that bridge has already been crossed.
Montreal and New York made a deal this summer, with William Trudeau going to the Rangers for Brett Berard. It was a small transaction, but it showed the door is not shut.
Montembeault still has to get healthy first, and the timeline is only 10 to 14 days. That gives the Rangers at least a little time to see whether their rookie tandem can survive the stretch.
Back in Montreal, the goalie picture is suddenly worth watching too. Dobes came out of camp as the clear No. 1 and helped the Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opener.
Then he hit a rougher patch against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes. After three games, it made sense to give the backup the Nashville Predators game, and when Montembeault went down, Fowler got the call.
Most expected Dobes to return for game five, but Martin St-Louis stayed with Fowler because the team had not had a full practice in a couple of days. That choice says something.
Last season, the coach likely would have gone right back to his top guy. Maybe Dobes does not have quite the same leash Montembeault once had.
Maybe St-Louis is simply following the hot hand more closely now after last year’s goaltending issues.
Either way, Fowler has changed the conversation. If he keeps playing like this, it will be hard for Montreal to send him back to the AHL, and the Canadiens’ crease situation could end up affecting more than just their own roster.
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Canadiens Face A Costly Dylan Larkin Dilemma Kent Hughes Can't Ignore
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For Montreal, that kind of framework matters because it hints at how steep the market would be before the Canadiens even get to the hardest part of the equation. Kent Hughes can check in, but the real obstacle may be getting Larkin's side to view Montreal as the right landing spot, and until that changes, the Canadiens are stuck watching a chase that looks expensive long before it looks realistic. [Read more 🡒]