Jakub Dobes’ rise gave the Canadiens exactly what they’d been chasing, but the leash around him might be tighter than most fans think.
Montréal got a massive payoff from Dobes last season. He was part of a rare club, joining Jordan Binnington and Ron Hextall as the only goaltenders to win seven of nine road games through their first playoff series experiences. His play helped drive the Canadiens’ success, and some observers even put him in the same conversation as Canadiens legend Carey Price.
Now comes the hard part for 2027: can he do it again? The Canadiens clearly think that answer matters, and they’ve set themselves up for it.
Dobes’ season started with promise after a strong debut year split between the AHL and the NHL. Montréal rewarded him with a two-year deal, and when Montembeault was sidelined by injury, Dobes took over the net. He was named the third start of the month in October, but the fall brought trouble, and he was used sparingly through the middle of the season.
Everything changed after that. Beginning in March, once he was back in the starter’s role, Dobes caught fire and never really let go.
He ripped off five straight wins late in March and picked up the NHL’s first star of the week. That surge carried into the playoffs, where he pushed the Canadiens all the way to the conference finals before they fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
With the Montréal offense fading, Dobes had to carry even more of the load.
The season ended with hardware and recognition. Dobes made the NHL All-Rookie team, finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting, and landed inside the top 10 on NHL Network’s off-season goaltending list. Then Montréal doubled down, giving him a three-year extension that runs through 2030.
Even with that commitment, the Canadiens are not entering training camp with a simple crease picture.
They still have three NHL-caliber goalies in the mix. Montembeault remains part of the equation after serving as the Canadiens’ main answer to the Carey Price void over the last few years, though consistency has been an issue and the organization has not shown full confidence in him. He could look like a useful backup behind Dobes, except there’s another name waiting in the wings.
Jacob Fowler is there too, and the pressure point is obvious. Daily Faceoff ranked him as the top goaltending prospect in the league, and he already gave Montréal a look at what he can do. In 17 starts last season - many of them during Dobes’ rough stretch - Fowler went 9-6 with a 0.908 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average.
That’s why Dobes may not have nearly as much room for error as people assume. One bad stretch, and Fowler is right there.
For Canadiens fans, though, that depth might be exactly the right setup. If Dobes stumbles in a sophomore season, Montréal has two other goalies who can at least keep the team afloat while the club figures out the next move.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Sam Montembeault Decision Worth Watching
With the Canadiens carrying more than enough goaltending depth to at least entertain the idea of a move, Sam Montembeault has quietly become a name worth monitoring. Montreal has spent enough time building up its crease to create options, and that alone makes the veteran netminder a different kind of asset than he might have been a year ago. For a team that is still sorting out its bigger picture, it is the sort of situation that can turn a stable position into a trade chip if the right market opens.
Kent Hughes also does not usually operate in the most obvious lanes when he is looking for value, which matters here because a simple goalie-for-pick deal may not be the path he prefers. If Montreal decides Montembeault belongs in play, the return could hinge on a more creative type of transaction, the kind that comes with a player who needs a reset or a contract another club wants to move. The broader goalie market could end up shaping how far that idea goes, and the Canadiens will be watching closely to see whether the right opening ever appears. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Reopen Practice But Dach Questions Are Only Growing
After a one-day closed-door session, the Canadiens were back in front of the public on the ice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and the usual practice rhythm returned with it. Fans in attendance got a look at the group as it skated, with Kirby Dach among the players spotted during the open session, a small but notable sight for anyone following the clubs day-to-day health and lineup picture.
The brief shutdown has only added to the curiosity around why the team chose to shut things down in the first place. Montreal has not offered an official explanation for the one-day closed-door practice, leaving the move open to interpretation and keeping attention fixed on the details that matter most to a team that is already being watched closely every time it hits the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have More Urgency To Get Arber Xhekaj Signed
Kaiden Guhles recent absence from practice has given the Canadiens another reason to be uneasy as training camp approaches, especially after he was spotted in a tracksuit and then missed the last two sessions in Brossard. Any uncertainty around a young defenseman who has already become a key part of the blue line tends to ripple quickly through the rest of the roster picture, and in Montreal it has only sharpened the focus on the teams defensive depth.
It also adds a little more urgency to Kent Hughes work with Arber Xhekaj, who remains unsigned even while continuing to train with the club. The Canadiens have been carrying on as if the situation will sort itself out, but if Guhle is slowed early in the season, the need for reliable bodies on defense becomes harder to ignore and makes Xhekajs unresolved contract situation loom a lot larger. [Read more 🡒]