Samuel Montembeault is at a crossroads heading into the 2026-27 season, and there’s no way around it: he has to answer back.
After a rough 2025-26 campaign with the Montreal Canadiens, the 29-year-old goalie is staring at a year that could shape what comes next for him. He posted an .872 save percentage and a 3.43 goals-against average in 25 games, numbers that pushed him all the way down to a conditioning loan with the Laval Rocket.
What started as a season with Montembeault in the mix as Montreal’s starter ended with him as the club’s third-string netminder. He simply never found his game again after the slide began, and the Canadiens moved him out of the NHL picture for a stretch in an effort to get him back on track.
Now he’s in the final season of his contract, and the urgency is obvious. A rebound would do more than just help Montreal - it could also open the door for the Canadiens to find him a new home, especially with Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler in the organization.
There’s another layer here, too. Montembeault is a pending unrestricted free agent, so a strong year would matter on the open market as well. A better season would give him a much stronger shot at landing a solid contract if he reaches free agency.
That’s the reality for Montembeault entering the year: the chances are there, but so is the pressure. If he gets them, he has to make them count.
In Other News...
Canadiens Face A Pricey Adam Fantilli Decision They Can't Ignore
Montreals center picture already looks crowded enough for next season, with Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, Jake Evans and Phillip Danault expected to hold down the middle and Kirby Dach still in the mix as another option. Even so, the Canadiens are keeping an eye on a bigger swing if the opportunity ever opens up, and that means watching the situation in Columbus closely as Adam Fantilli works through his contract talks with the Blue Jackets.
For Montreal, the appeal is obvious: Fantilli is the kind of young center who can change a lineups ceiling. The problem is just as obvious, too. Any serious run at him would come with a steep price, and the kind of move that could pry him loose would not be a simple cap maneuver or a minor trade adjustment. It would be the sort of commitment that forces a team to decide how badly it wants to chase a franchise piece. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Bruins Trade Chance Fans Will Debate
Bostons decision to lock up Fraser Minten on a seven-year extension has added a new wrinkle to a situation Montreal will be watching closely. With that piece of business done, the Bruins may be more open to listening on Pavel Zacha, and the Canadiens have reportedly shown interest as they look to address a roster need. Any conversation between division rivals would be unusual enough on its own, but it also comes with the kind of negotiation baggage that tends to make these ideas easier to discuss than to complete.
For Montreal, the appeal is obvious: Zacha would bring a useful middle-six presence and give the club another option in a spot it wants to strengthen. For Boston, moving a veteran forward in the right deal could make sense if the roster reshuffle continues to tilt in Mintens direction. The real question is whether two teams that rarely deal with one another can find a framework that both sides can live with, because the history between them suggests this would take more than a passing phone call. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Hutson Just Added To A Canadiens Debate Fans Love
Corey Pronmans latest 2022 NHL Draft re-ranking gave Canadiens fans plenty to chew on, especially because it centered on the same class that already shapes so much of the teams future conversation. Juraj Slafkovsky stayed at No. 1 in Pronmans view, and the exercise was built around long-term upside rather than a simple do-over of draft night, which is why these lists tend to ignite the kind of debates that linger well beyond the original selection.
The most intriguing part for Montreal is Lane Hutsons rise from a second-round pick to a level usually reserved for the drafts elite, joining Cutter Gauthier in the upper tier of the re-rank. Logan Cooley landed ahead of him, which only adds another layer to the discussion about how teams should value skill, projection and development, and why the Canadiens draft haul remains such a favorite topic whenever these rankings surface. [Read more 🡒]