Samuel Montembeault’s trade market has hit a wall, and that’s where the Canadiens’ headache really begins.
For weeks, the question around Montreal was simple: if the team didn’t want to keep carrying three goalies, why was Montembeault still there? Now there’s a blunt answer. Interest in the Quebec-born netminder is reportedly nonexistent, and that leaves Kent Hughes in a tough spot.
The timing is especially rough for Montembeault. Not long ago, the 29-year-old was Martin St-Louis’ trusted starter.
But Jakub Dobes’ strong play has moved him into the No. 1 role, while Jacob Fowler’s rise has made him look like the goalie of the future. That shift has pushed Montembeault into the third-goalie position, a role that’s hard to swallow for a veteran who was in a very different place just a few months ago.
The market hasn’t helped. Teams that were most often connected to him, including the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers, have already gone out and added a goaltender elsewhere. That shrinks the list of possible landing spots, and with fewer teams in the mix, Montembeault’s trade value drops even further.
“Meanwhile, interest in the goaltender from Bécancour appears to be nonexistent on the trade market.”
That leaves Hughes with an awkward choice. He doesn’t want to move Montembeault for less than what he believes the goalie is worth, but he also doesn’t want to head into the season with three goaltenders. And as anyone around the league knows, a three-goalie setup usually doesn’t bring much peace to a locker room.
For now, the Canadiens are stuck waiting to see whether anything changes.
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For Montreal followers, the significance goes beyond another market on the league map. If Houston is indeed the destination, it would make the long-discussed idea of the Nordiques coming back look even more remote, even if the NHL has not made anything official yet. For now, it is still just buzz, but it is the kind of buzz that can change how people talk about hockey in Quebec. [Read more 🡒]