Jacob Fowler has forced his way into the Calder Trophy conversation, and the Montreal Canadiens rookie goaltender is doing it the hard way: by taking over the net.
Fowler is expected to start his ninth game of the season Tuesday against the slumping Winnipeg Jets, and the 21-year-old Florida native has already built a strong case with his play. He’s sitting at 7-1-0 with a 1.84 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage, numbers that have pushed him into the bulk of Montreal’s starts and, for now, past Jakub Dobes on the depth chart.
That kind of start has Fowler sitting second in Calder Trophy odds on most sportsbooks, even with much of the early buzz around Toronto Maple Leafs winger and recent first overall pick Gavin McKenna.
A goalie winning the Calder isn’t out of the question. The last one to do it was Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008-09, when he went 33-20-7 with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. That season also brought him the second-most Vezina Trophy votes before Boston’s Tim Thomas won the award.
The historical bar is high, though. Based on the averages of the 16 goaltenders who have won the Calder, Fowler’s target line looks something like 30 to 35 wins, a goals-against average around 2.30 and a save percentage above .915. In other words, he’d need to keep playing like one of the league’s best all season.
That’s a tall ask, even with Fowler’s hot start. Last season, only eight goaltenders finished with 30 or more wins.
Just seven goaltenders who made at least 30 starts posted a goals-against average of 2.50 or better, which may be the more realistic benchmark. Eight goaltenders finished at .910 or better in save percentage.
For Fowler, the path likely means staying healthy, keeping Montreal’s starting job and remaining in the Vezina conversation.
The race around him is crowded, too.
McKenna has had the benefit of skating with Auston Matthews and John Tavares at center, giving him a steady scoring base. He already has 11 points in 16 games.
Boston’s James Hagens has been thriving in a middle-six role on a hot Bruins team, with Elias Lindholm as his center and time on the second power-play unit. He leads all rookies with 12 points in 16 games.
Detroit’s Michael Brandsegg-Nygård has put up ten points in 15 games and has also stood out for his physical edge and hit total, making a case as a true power forward.
Chicago’s Roman Kantserov has picked up steam as well, with six goals to tie Hagens for the rookie lead in that category and eight points in 15 games overall. He has spent most of the season alongside Connor Bedard, which has helped stabilize his production.
Porter Martone, Anton Frondell, Cole Hutson, Ivar Stenberg and Victor Eklund are also part of the mix in what has become a deep rookie field.
For now, Fowler has put himself right in the thick of it. If he keeps delivering the kind of numbers he’s posted so far, Montreal could be on track for its second Calder Trophy winner in three years after Lane Hutson.
In Other News...
Florian Xhekaj Suddenly Faces Real Pressure In Canadiens Lineup
Florian Xhekajs night against the Winnipeg Jets turned into one of those moments that can linger well beyond the final horn. The Canadiens rookie dropped the gloves in a game that was still manageable, and the sequence helped set the stage for a wild finish as Montreal saw its lead disappear in an overtime loss. It was the kind of momentum shift that can leave a coach weighing not just the emotion of the moment, but the cost of it.
Martin St-Louis did not call out Xhekaj publicly, which fits the coachs usual measured approach, but the bigger issue may be what comes next for the young forward. Montreal is getting healthier, and when the lineup starts to tighten up, every shift matters more. For Xhekaj, the fight may not have drawn an immediate rebuke, but it could still make his place in the lineup a lot less secure. [Read more 🡒]
Martin St-Louis Just Called Out A Canadiens Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Canadiens left Winnipeg with a result that said far more about their own play than about the scraps that broke out along the way. Montreal had built a 4-0 lead, but the game slipped away in overtime, and Martin St-Louis made it clear afterward that the issue was not the fights so much as what happened at five-on-five, where Winnipeg controlled much of the night.
For a team still sitting second in the Atlantic Division, the loss landed as a reminder that the margin for error can disappear fast, especially when two important forwards like Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach are out of the lineup. St-Louis message was less about one bad bounce than a bigger concern the Canadiens cannot really brush aside, because the way they played at even strength is the part of this story that lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A No-Cost Roster Decision Kent Hughes Must Weigh
Waiver season has handed Kent Hughes an unexpected bit of roster flexibility, with a pair of available players suddenly giving the Canadiens a chance to add help without paying a trade price. Montreal is at least evaluating the fit, which makes sense for a front office that has tried to balance immediate depth with longer-range planning as it shapes the roster.
The decision comes down to what the Canadiens value more right now: a younger piece who could grow into a bigger role over time, or a veteran who might help sooner but comes with a shorter runway. No move has been made yet, and for Montreal the real intrigue is whether Hughes sees this as a rare no-cost chance to address a need before another club gets there first. [Read more 🡒]