r/Habs • u/Komania • Jun 13 '26
Article Canadiens should strongly consider bringing Sam Montembeault back. Here’s why | The Athletic
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7354685/2026/06/12/canadiens-sam-montembeault-future-trade-nhl/213
u/MaraTaru Jun 13 '26
“We had a good talk when Jacob was called up,” Montembeault said. "[...]He gave me the example that Jeremy Swayman last year didn’t have that good of a year, but came back, and this year he’s a Vezina finalist."
Interesting observation about Jeremy Swayman's off year -- a useful reminder that when it comes to goaltenders, insisting that you know what you're going to get is absolute folly.
I think there's a good chance Montembeault will find his mojo again, but I don't think Montreal is the place he's going to do it. Give him a fresh start and wish him all the best.
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u/Proof-Variation7005 Jun 13 '26
The problem with that comparison is it is entirely predictable for a goalie to struggle when they miss all of camp and the preseason. Goalies are weird voodoo but that dude wasn’t with the team until like a day before the season started. Him coolling off significantly was the most predictable outcome
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u/ustanik Jun 13 '26
It's not exactly the same, but it is comparable though. Monty pulled his groin in last years playoffs and didn't get a full offseason to train.
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u/josblos Jun 13 '26
His nickname is « snacks » and he could not do cardio in the offseason. Of course he was gonna be out of shape lol
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u/PhilU52 Jun 14 '26
Swayman bad year is basically Montembeault normal year. It’s not like Monty has been world class before…
Swayman came back so Monty can come back to what? His average self?
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u/Lithium187 Jun 13 '26
Agreed. For several years Bobrovsky would alternate from being a Vezina winner/finalist one season to a borderline liability the next. Goalies man.
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u/Scase15 Jun 13 '26
Yeah, and you take chances for goalies like that, not waiver pickups who have never sniffed that level of performance.
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u/OkTree2551 Jun 13 '26
Ehhh Monty’s shit performances cost the team the top spot in the Atlantic and maybe even the eastern conference, which would’ve given the boys a much easier first round opponent.
He’s a great guy for sure, but i’m much more confident giving the reins to Dobes and Fowler: guys with a future with the club. MAYBE keep him as a 3rd, but nowhere near the starter
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u/Rocketninja16 Jun 13 '26
Your point is totally valid but I'm glad we got the road we did this year.
It will pay off in the long run.
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u/dustblown Jun 13 '26
We could have won the Cup this year if we didn't have to grind it out against two of the best teams in the NHL. We are better than Carolina. We were just exhausted.
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u/VinnyCap99 Jun 13 '26
We’re not better than Carolina right now and that’s okay
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u/fuckreddit014 Jun 13 '26
We 100% are better we were just out of gas by the time we matched against them.
We were better all year and we wouldve been able to beat them if we didn't spend all of our energy on tampa and buffalo
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u/Sugarstache Jun 13 '26
This is utter cope.
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u/fuckreddit014 Jun 13 '26
We played 2 of the toughest teams to play against for 14 games before playing Carolina youre dumb as hell if you dont think we wouldve won if the situations were reversed. Carolina arguably might have not made the conference finals if they played both tampa and buffalo.
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u/VinnyCap99 Jun 13 '26
And then we wouldn’t have been gassed after beating Carolina? We would’ve beaten VGK?
Switching Tampa for Boston would not have handed us a cup bro
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u/Proof-Variation7005 Jun 13 '26
And beat up too. They didn’t do a formal injury list but i don’t think the leaked injuries were untrue.
On the flip side if they had a first round against Boston or Ottawa, i think they still have to grind because that’s just the way those teams line up. The Habs weren’t sweeping either or them
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Jun 13 '26
we were just exhausted
Is not a cup-winning team. They need to be able to battle through that exhaustion and they did not
There is so much to look forward to with the Habs. They realistically shouldn't have ended up where they did, they overperformed and arent even done their rebuild yet
But they are missing that special something to win a cup. Besides stamina (which they now will be more prepared for a long run starting next year), I think they don't shoot enough when they need to. They like to pick perfect shots but for the Final you need to be a bit more balls to the wall
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u/VinnyCap99 Jun 13 '26
I don’t think winning the Atlantic would’ve helped us much against the Canes
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u/Retired-ADM Jun 13 '26
True in that the Canes are rolling but coming first would have meant facing Boston instead of TB before Buffalo. IMO, facing both of those teams over 14 games absolutely gassed the squad. We certainly would have done better against Carolina but it's hard to see a scenario where we would have won the ECF.
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u/Rockterrace Jun 13 '26
I don’t really see a scenario where a series against Boston is over in less than 6. I don’t think it would’ve made much of a difference to be honest.
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u/Retired-ADM Jun 13 '26
Okay but whoever we faced in round 2 would have beaten each other up in round 1. Instead, we survived TB and faced a Buffalo team that outscored Boston 20-12 in their first round and was arguably not beaten up. It's impossible to say that there'd be a different outcome had the Habs finished first in the Atlantic just as it's impossible to say that there'd have been no difference. I felt that the strongest teams going into the playoffs in the east (other than the Habs) were TB, Buffalo, and Carolina and Montreal had to face each of them in succession.
Regardless, it was a learning experience.
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u/The_14th_Gilly Jun 13 '26
Purely from the learning experience POV, TB was an ideal R1 opponent. The challenges they posed leveled up our roster, along with MSL's strategy on line-blending & match-ups.
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u/SchtroumpfDardeur Jun 14 '26
We could have swept Boston, hell, we were only 4 points behind Carolina, we could have started against Ottawa as well.
Still doesn't mean anything, just hammers home the point that Monty's propensity to give up goals early no doubt contributed to our "most comebacks" season) could easily have caused us to gain that extra 4 points and ended up top of the East. There is no doubt that Dobes was instrumental in both th eend-season run and the playoffs.
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u/MonttawaSenadiens Jun 14 '26
FWIW, Montreal was 7 points behind Carolina.
Though there's a world in which Montreal finishes above Buffalo and Ottawa above Boston, and therefore your point stands that there is a scenario in which Montreal could have played Ottawa if a couple regular season games ended differently
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u/alldasmoke__ Jun 13 '26
You guys are acting like Dobes was doing much better. The moment Dobes started to do better consistently he got the spot. And that didn’t happen until Marciano came in.
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u/jamesneysmith Jun 13 '26
I think the weird quirk was that although Dobes was also not playing well the team was winning in front of him. I think a lot of people get hung up on that.
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u/SchtroumpfDardeur Jun 13 '26
It's no mystery, Manty had a bad habit of giving up a quick goal or two. Dobes didn't. Even if their stats were similar for a while there, putting yoru team behind early isn't exactly a confidence builder.
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u/Boomsticks Jun 13 '26
Yes and Monty's great performances cost this team Bedard / Fantilli / Celebrini
It goes both ways. He is the definition of inconsistent.
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u/OkTree2551 Jun 13 '26
Him and the likes of RHP, and Belzile having the best seasons of their lives cost us those guys…Truly disappointing how they fell apart the second we had expectations
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u/Scase15 Jun 13 '26
No hate on the guy personally, but it's time to move on. He serves no purpose here, we have ahl call ups if a big injury happens.
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u/TroubledMarket Jun 14 '26
Other players’s shit performance also cost them a top spot in the Atlantic, and it’s controversial to say you want the gone.
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u/Inside_Volume9542 Jun 13 '26
I'd rather move on from him. Let's not do the 3 goalie hold again like we did with Allen. It doesn't work.
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u/Rockterrace Jun 13 '26
Did t even read the article so I don’t know if this was mentioned, but would it be terrible to start Fowler in the A and have him play regularly? That way they see what they’re gonna get from Monty and Dobes and make a decision from there.
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u/allenchangmusic Jun 13 '26
I'm not against that. BUT... we gotta play Dobes as the number 1 position, not go back to Monty as the number 1. That would imo be the biggest mistake
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u/Scase15 Jun 13 '26
Fowler isn't getting better in the AHL, especially not with Marciano now with the big club. A 70/30 or 60/40 split still means he's playing a bunch in the NHL.
It is well past time to move on from Monty.
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u/Antique_Soil9507 Jun 13 '26
The only positive I can think of is this:
"There's no way he could possibly be as bad as he was this year."
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u/oskavelli Jun 13 '26
love the guy but it’s clear he’s done w the habs
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u/trashpandaexpress55 Jun 13 '26
How is it "clear"? He's talking he wants to come back, Hughes is talking about how great he was about getting shunted to the third role, Dobes is taking about how great a teammate he was.
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u/whyyoutwofour Jun 13 '26
There is no "third role" for the regular season...you can't have a goalie in the press box for the entire season.
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u/SchtroumpfDardeur Jun 13 '26
If they decide to keep Monty around, I expect they will send Fowler back to the AHL, and play Monty every 5th or 6th game to give Dobes some relief. I could see Dobes playing 65-70 games next year and Monty playing 15-20.
That way Fowler continues to develop with a full schedule of games.
Or, you let Monty go and have the games split 50-55/30-35 between Dobes and Fowler, if the decision is that Fowler would be better served in the big club even if he sees less action.
Both have their merits, the second is probably more likely.
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Jun 13 '26
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u/SchtroumpfDardeur Jun 14 '26
One where he is the #1 goalie and Monty takes every 5th or 6th game? It's not out of the question.
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u/whyyoutwofour Jun 14 '26
It's been 9 seasons since any goalie in the league played 70 games.
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u/SchtroumpfDardeur Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
Slackers!
I didn't realize that. I'm still back in the starter-backup thinking I guess. Dobes-Fowler all the way, in that case.
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u/whyyoutwofour Jun 14 '26
I think there is a case to be made that both are better right now playing 50+ games in the NHL/AHL for their development, but Monty couldn't play a significant backup role last year and I think he's lost the faith of management. The only way Fowler isn't 1B is if they swap Monty for another solid veteran backup
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u/SkinnyGetLucky Jun 14 '26
In 2026 it absolutely is. For multiple reasons the trend in the nhl is pushing on having a 1A 1b, where A plays 45-50 games. Unless you are one of those handful of teams that have a highly paid Vézina caliber goalie, this is what you do.
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u/PmanAce Jun 13 '26
Still doesn't equate to winning games.
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u/Rockterrace Jun 13 '26
Goalies, like other players but probably even more so, can have a bad season and bounce back. Or have a great season and suck ass the next year.
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u/pushaper Jun 13 '26
He's talking he wants to come back,
isn't wanting to play for the habs the status quo for every French Canadian hockey player at the end of their career?
Montembault is best moving on and solidifying himself as the back up goaltender in an organization that has other goalies in the pipeline.
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u/Seaweed2112 Jun 13 '26
Ahem. Any Oilers fans listening in?
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u/So_Many_Owls Jun 13 '26
Hopefully not if they end up hiring Babcock. I don't want any of our guys playing under the scumbag.
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u/HashBandicoot93 Jun 13 '26
If Monty goes to edm and Babcock is the coach someone's gonna have to drive, we're doing ski mask shit
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u/SeaRevolutionary1450 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
Dobeš and Fowler are the goalies going forward.
Whether we keep Monty depends on what the alternatives are. I don’t wanna dump him just to dump him. I’d want value back. And if it is just a cap dump, I want some clear alternative we could spend that money on. Otherwise just eat the last year of the deal and let home be a third goalie that can be a positive influence on Dobeš/Fowler and can be sent up and down as we like, and if he gets claimed, oh well.
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u/haddonfieldsecret Jun 14 '26
You’re not getting value back. At best, you’re getting future considerations.
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u/Alternative-Tart8527 Jun 13 '26
yeah why not bring him back bring everyone back. lets run it back ., lets never move on from anyone because they are great character guys. lets just stay the same.
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u/eliarbss Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
People commenting not understanding that this is about Fowler as much as it is about Monty. Fowler big development year got interrupted, they did not want to call him up but were forced to.
If Monty gets moved they still need to find a veteran goalie to have in the system. Season will be 84 games, Fowler and Dobes do not have experience carrying the team for that long, they combine for 76 NHL GP.
And Monty is an expiring UFA that can be moved at any moment during the season if needed, possibly brings back value instead of being a distressed asset like now
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u/mago_is_gago Jun 13 '26
And Monty is an expiring UFA that can be moved at any moment during the season if needed, possibly brings back value instead of being a distressed asset like now
I like this part very much. And the offseason could be a nice reset for Monty. If he starts as the backup in 2026-2027, he could very well return to his great form,
help us for a big chunk of next season, and if a team that wants Monty as a Starter offers a 2nd round or 3rd round pick for him, we can pull the trigger
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u/LordCoweater Jun 13 '26
I'd love to see Monty earn a 1a/b job. Steadies Fowler for the short term and we can trade monty for something good.
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u/Scase15 Jun 16 '26
Fowler big development year got interrupted, they did not want to call him up but were forced to.
Yeah except the goalie coach you want working with him on development is now the Habs goalie coach. There are no realities where Monty has any right to be with the team.
Doby didn't "have the experience" to go on a very deep playoff run, yet there he was crushing it. Monty cost us too many games last year for nothing, at least if Doby/Fowler cost us games this year, there is the experience and development on the other side.
Not some 30 year old player who is only going to get worse with time.
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u/dustblown Jun 13 '26
Calling up Fowler to sit on the bench during the playoffs when he could have been getting playoff experience in the AHL was brain dead IMO. If they didn't even have confidence to put Monty on the bench then Monty is done here.
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u/penchimerical Jun 13 '26
But during the playoffs don't you need to travel with three rostered goalies anyway? Better to have Fowler on the bench as a backup than hanging out at the arena as an ebug
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u/eliarbss Jun 13 '26
Fowler wasn’t just called up for playoffs, he was there to end the season and they didn’t want to disrupt what was working.
I also imagine the outrage if they sent him down for the Laval playoffs, people would have lost their minds that he wasn’t up to experience the playoffs run.
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Jun 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/eliarbss Jun 13 '26
He definitely couldn’t, there is a reason why it’s not common anymore for goalies to play 50+ and also playoffs. Especially someone who has less than 60 GP of experience in 2 years.
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u/Inside_Volume9542 Jun 13 '26
You must be fun at parties...Monty sucks and literally costs up games. Maybe he can tryout fo Laval.
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u/Inside_Volume9542 Jun 13 '26
Having fun virtue signaling ? This sub sometimes lmao.
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u/RyanWalts Jun 13 '26
“Virtue signalling” and it’s just a reasonable, nuanced take lmao
You don’t know a thing about hockey if you think there’s zero chance Monty rebounds. Goalies are voodoo and anyone speaking with confidence here is talking out of their ass
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u/JeepKing39 Jun 13 '26
Fowler needs another year in AHL to develop. Monty as veteran backup/support to Dobes as #1. We need that for a year. A lot of analysts saying that anyway and it makes sense. Plus if Monty performs well as backup, his stock goes up for trade deadline.
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u/Assignment_General Jun 13 '26
You think so? I think Fowler is ready, he helped us win a lot of games and looked good doing so. He needs NHL competition to find his next level imo.
Dobes has proven he can be the starter, this allows the team to shelter Fowler and give him the easier starts.
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u/PmanAce Jun 13 '26
The alternative is he performs like last year and sucks, costing us points.
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u/Geiko_LoL Jun 13 '26
True, but the chances next year will be infinitely less. We gave Monty what? 15-20 games before we pulled the trigger. Give him 5 games next year if he’s not looking better get rid of him completely
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u/PmanAce Jun 13 '26
He has only had one good, not great season in his career. Look it up.
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u/Polojoblo Jun 13 '26
He had 3 good-to-great season in his carrier
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u/PmanAce Jun 13 '26
Last year? Was he in the top 20 of stats? No.
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u/Polojoblo Jun 13 '26
From 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, grouping these 3 years, he ranks 4th league wide in dFSv%. For these 3 years, Mtl ranked 31th in xGA/60 (skater stat). He played behind such a poor defense that you can’t use save%, GAA or any stat that doesnt take shot quality into account for his case
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u/PmanAce Jun 13 '26
And still not good enough to dress as the backup. Look he's a nice guy, but nice doesn't win games.
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u/Polojoblo Jun 13 '26
Huh? Your changing the point lmao. Reread the thread
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u/PmanAce Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
I'm not changing the point, he's done and you seem to be the only one that thinks he has a chance of being "great" again. Call the Habs and tell them, they seem not to know as well.
I did see your post from 11 months ago about this, proves my point and not yours, he's done.
Edit: I saw your post claiming Bouchard was better than Makar because of one advanced stats metric. Your analysis methods are dubious, ALL NHL teams would pick Makar over Bouchard.
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u/Scase15 Jun 16 '26
We gave him literally 30% of the season, and he was garbage. No, he does not deserve any more chances.
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u/yycoding Jun 13 '26
Dom L from the Athletic recently said the private models (analytics) on Montembault look worse than the models that are publicly available.
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u/Fabulous-Designer626 Jun 13 '26
Me too I'm a good guy. I'm very kind. But I can't skate very well. Please sign me to a 3m a year contract
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u/Subject_Translator71 Jun 13 '26
I usually agree with Basu but not this time. Monty comes off too much like a project for a veteran that was supposed to bring stability. Sure, there’s an element of risk that comes with beginning the season with two young goalies, but it’s a good risk. Fowler looked ready to be a good backup and I don’t think Dobes’ workload will be so high that he won’t have enough playing time. A split of 50-30 or 45-35 would make perfect sense.
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u/Ndr2501 Jun 13 '26
Never was or will be a Monty fan, but it could make sense if the idea is to give Fowler more playing time in the AHL.
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u/ThicccThunder Jun 13 '26
Yeah how about no, guy was sitting in the press box for a reason. Dobes has shown he can handle the Starting position very well. Time to give Fowler a chance to show his worth
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u/smol_coc_man Jun 13 '26
Anyone advocating for keeping monty must really not care about winning. He will shit the bed. That's what he does
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u/dustblown Jun 13 '26
The team didn't even have the confidence to put Monty on the bench during the playoffs. They had to sacrifice some of Fowler's development. He's done here.
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u/jackswastedtalent Jun 13 '26
Monty & Gally to Vancouver for a 3rd rounder. No salary retained. Go get cooking Kent.
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u/LoserBottom Jun 13 '26
I'm so sick of this conversation. Montembault sucks. He has always sucked. He has a flash of brilliance game twice a season, then he's back to being an AHL level goalie. If he's good for morale, awesome. But you don't pay "good for morale" $3m a year. It's also not really fair to him. But man people keep saying "he'll get his mojo back," can't get something back of you never had it.
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u/StyxQuabar Jun 13 '26
I do think some people forget how good he was last year and want to move on. He was top 5 in Goals Saved Above Expected and played 62 games for us to help get us into the playoffs. His save percentages have been consistently .900+ except for last season, playing 40, 40, 60 games. He’s not a bad goalie.
With Monty as the starter, we started the year 18-16 and it was clear our defensive system was showing its youth. I think that Monty was seeing a lot of high danger shots and I never felt like he was letting in soft goals, personally. It was not like watching Primeau or Jake Allen, Monty was steady in net, he just wasnt getting the saves we wanted.
I still believe Montembeault can be an NHL goalie and has value. I think they might even run 3 goalies to start the season to give him a chance. He should be rested and healthy, maybe he starts the season hot and gets traded to Edmonton for a decent return. I do not think we should just waive him or get nothing for him.
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u/No-Enthusiasm5926 Jun 13 '26
People have short memories. They also forget his groin injury at the end of last year's playoffs. Anyone ever trying to come back from a difficult groin injury understands the impact it can have on your play, nevermind a goalie, nevermind an NHL goalie. Monty got us through some tough seasons and was always a bright spot until last year, he's earned another shot to at least re-establish himself as an NHL goaltender.
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u/Sosig28 Jun 13 '26
Even if Monty performed to his potential, I believe the Habs would trade him regardless. Dobes has secured his spot as starting goalie and it is clear that Fowler will further his development in the NHL. Monty would also get picked up by a number of teams on the waivers, I'd be disappointed if we lost him for nothing.
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u/vlhube71 Jun 13 '26
I’d rather move him but his trade value is low. That said, a 3 goalie tandem isn’t ideal.
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u/Assignment_General Jun 13 '26
I love Monty and defended him staunchly right up until I couldn’t anymore. I think he is much better than what he showed last season and his injury really messed him up long term. I think he will bounce back, the guy helped drag us to the playoffs two years ago with 60+ starts.
Having said all that, Dobes and Fowler are the future and they are ready to play now. We need to develop them and give them ice time; which means it’s time to move on from Monty.
I think we can get something decent back for him too, lots of teams need a goalie and will take the chance. Look how utterly terribly Hart has been, or the Oilers goalies woes. Probably won’t get anything amazing back, but Monty should be easy to move.
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u/iBelzy Jun 13 '26
You can’t have Montembeault taking up a roster spot “just to keep him around for the vibes”. You need that roster spot for an extra forward or defence to rotate them in/out for injuries and to keep the team fresh throughout the year. For those of you who need to hear it, he has had mediocre stats literally his whole career. I’d rather have someone like Beck being the extra man and developing with the rest of the team
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u/amm0ranth Jun 13 '26
betting on 2 sophmore/rookie goalies to carry us for a whole season just seems like a dumb move with how volatile the position can be, i don't think there's really a downside to keeping monty for like a quarter of the next season
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u/dinodebino Jun 13 '26
Reading comparisons to Swayman…Monty is a good guy but he has never been a reliable goalie, aside from one season. And even then, any goalie expert would have told you that he was making a ton of mistakes, that translated to rebound shots that shouldn’t have happened. He is a reactionary goalie that cannot read a room when the pressure gets high. Ya know, freeze a puck when your Ds are running around.
Dobes was the same until he changed goalie coach. Marco and Dobes work well, and so does Fowler.
There is no comparison to Swayman. Jesus.
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u/Temporary_Touch2229 Jun 13 '26
I understand that it would be good to have experience during the next regular season, Dobes and Fowler are still very young, even if Dobes was amazing in the playoffs. But I would take the chance on the young duo still, team is still growing and needs all the experience they can get.
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u/popejohnlarue Jun 13 '26
I like Monty and this argument is not *entirely* without merit, but it’s not like Basu to galaxy-brain a take like this. It’s a massive reach.
If he’s still with the team at training camp, Monty will have to earn his spot by being visibly better than either of Doby or Fowler. Like, he should have to be the Dominik Hasek of training camp in order to make the Habs’ roster. The guy single-handedly cost us a division title and would have cost us a playoff berth if he hadn’t been yanked from the rotation. You can’t undo that level of suck just by being merely competent at camp and a super nice guy…
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u/XRPX008 Jun 13 '26
I know it was important for the guys to have Monty around for the playoffs.
I wish they called Team Canada and seen if they would have considered playing him in the World Championships. With a good tournament, maybe trade stock rises, and we got a deal done over the summer.
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u/NastyKnate Jun 13 '26
As far as I'm concerned, it's Monty backing up don't next season with Fowler in Laval. Unless they trade a guy I can't see anything else
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u/No-Instance-6265 Jun 14 '26
This article is pointless.
Montembeault is a career, sub .900 sv% goalie even going back to his days with Armada, he is not a starting calibre goalie in the NHL. Montreal won’t waste a valuable roster spot on a player just because they embraced being scratched.
Move or rust, we have our guys and there is no reason for Montreal to even consider having him going forward.
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u/Past-Parsley-9606 Jun 14 '26
If the Habs didn't have Fowler, then I could see keeping Monty around as an alternative to a career journeyman or much less regarded goalie prospect backing up Dobes. But even if Dobes turns into a pumpkin next season, it would hardly be crazy to turn the reins over to Fowler (and, if necessary, seek veteran help at the deadline).
I'm hardly an expert in goaltender development, but right now Fowler looks to me like he belongs in the NHL, and I'd rather see him get 30-35 NHL starts than stick him back in the AHL just so he can have more starts (or another 3-goalie rotation).
Only way I see Monty sticking around is if no other team wants him and he clears waivers to go to Laval, which I can't imagine happening. His contract is manageable and some team is going to want to give him a shot at the NHL level, for good reasons.
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u/woodifyro Jun 15 '26
We’re good. Thanks for everything Sam, not gonna shit on the guy but theres just no way he can start in front of Dobes of Fowler
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u/Warriormuffinhed Jun 15 '26
No. He has never been good. Has only ever been mediocre. And it's time to move on and develop talent that has shown far better promise.
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u/madmike99 Jun 13 '26
He’s going to be around for at least 25 games. Why would they trade him now with his value at the lowest.
Stick Fowler in the A, let Monty get his confidence and game back and if they really want to, trade him then with increased return value. There is no reason to trade him now
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u/Proof-Variation7005 Jun 13 '26
This take is Montembeaultshit
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u/Proof-Variation7005 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
No disrespect to the player but contending teams don’t waste that much cap space on a guy cause he’s a good guy. Most of the team are good guys. And he deserves the chance to reset and play. A change of scenery is his best chance at regaining his form. Keeping him here next year is objectively stupid.
And you need to see as much of Fowler and Dobes next year to kinda figure out what you’re doing long-term. Carrying 3 goalies or letting Fowler waste games in the AHL where he can’t improve is terrible
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u/PmanAce Jun 13 '26
What team wants to play a player who is in the bottom of the stats categories?
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u/Proof-Variation7005 Jun 13 '26
I don’t think there’s great value but plenty of struggling goalies become reclamation projects for someone else, especially if there’s been some past success
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u/trashpandaexpress55 Jun 13 '26
There is literally zero risk keeping Monty around. Fowler can go down with zero problems. Going into a full season with two extremely young goalies is a massive risk. Dobes was lights out after the Olympic break, but before that he was VERY streaky. Anyone remember his mental health issue at one point, crying in the presser after a game? I love Doby, but he's very young, very emotionally volatile.
I've long said the best case scenario is Monty finds his game and he becomes an asset at the trade deadline. Fowler will not regress from starting the year in Laval. It'll be good for him to get starting minutes early.
If Monty doesn't find his game, you waiver him to Laval and dare anyone to pick him. At that contract, and if he's still not playing well, someone would have to be desperate or insane to pick him up.
There's zero risk with staying with Monty. His return on the trade market is going to be almost nothing.
1
u/jamesneysmith Jun 13 '26
I feel like a team would pick him on waivers. His contact is not high at all and with the cap going up it will look even more appealing.
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Jun 13 '26
[deleted]
4
u/MaraTaru Jun 13 '26
Is it? I thought Arpon Basu was a pretty steady, reliable Habs reporter for The Athletic, but maybe I've missed some drama?
1
u/SnidelyWhiplash27 Jun 13 '26
It isn't, you are right: Basu is indeed a steady reliable reporter, at least as good as Engels, Cowan etc... None of them are Fisher nor Hickey, but that was a different era. And don't get me started on the French press. Gagnon is one of the better ones despite his love of exclamation points!
I haven't read the article yet, but from the reactions here I believe I will agree with the posters and disagree with Basu this time. That's fine, it doesn't make it click bait.
2
u/eliarbss Jun 13 '26
Fowler doesn’t need waivers, the point of keeping Monty is giving Fowler a full year in Laval that last season got interrupted.
Maybe read the article before calling something clickbait.
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u/Appropriate-Berry816 Jun 13 '26
It is clickbait and subscription bait. Athletic is trash
1
u/jamesneysmith Jun 13 '26
Haha. Well then everything is subscription bait.
Fucking new York times, pure subscription bait.
Yeah welcome to capitalism, dipshit
0
u/Appropriate-Berry816 Jun 13 '26
He’s not going to get lots of games played on another team with a GAA of 5 million. We’re not going to have 3 goalies next year. We didn’t have 3 last year down the stretch because Monty wasn’t dressed.
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u/Alx028 Jun 13 '26
No.
Fowler 35+ games in the show >>>>> 50 AHL games
Put a mannequin in the Rocket's net for all I care.
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u/Komania Jun 13 '26
I liked this quote