Canadiens: Samuel Montembeault Brings Upside to Backup Job

Oddly enough, there’s been a running theme of lost potential over the past few days, between the Florida Panthers, and the Montreal Canadiens.

In Montreal’s case, former prospect Noah Juulsen has found himself on the waiver wire yet again, after being claimed by the Panthers in January of last year as a unproven third pairing option. The Canadiens 26th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Juulsen has yet to realize the potential he showcased with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, most of it due to a continuing struggle with injuries. Over the course of his first four professional seasons, Juulsen has yet to play a full season at any level, with the hope being he can seen consistent minutes with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch in 2021-22.

While the jury is still out on whether Montreal should reclaim Juulsen or not, he’d have to fight for a roster spot in either organization, and is at this point a better fit for a rebuilding team than a rapidly progressing contender like Florida. Leading on from that, (whilst going back to the overcrowded waiver wire) the Canadiens have made their own go at one of the Panthers former prospects, picking up goaltender Samuel Montembeault off waivers early Saturday.

A former third round pick of the Panthers in, like Juulsen, the 2015 draft, Montembeault was actually on Montreal’s draft radar before the Panthers ultimately took him, with the Habs opting for talented defensive center Lukas Vejdemo instead, at 88th overall. A product of the QMJHL’s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, Montembeault was a reliable starting option in a league known for it’s scoring, putting up highs of a 28-9-0 record with a 2.40 GAA and six shutouts in the 2016-17 season.

Since joining the Panthers organization in 2017-18, Montembeault has yet to find his stride at either the NHL or AHL level, yet nonetheless served as a backup/third goalie for the Panthers in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. With Florida in search of a replacement after the retirement of starter Roberto Luongo, Montembeault was seen as an intriguing future option, yet things just never worked out that way.

Almost immediately after Luongo’s retirement, Florida picked up former Vezina trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky out of free agency, as well as drafting USNDP standout Spencer Knight with the 13th pick in the 2019 Draft. Couple this with the emergence of former AHL/ECHL farmhand Chris Driedger, and Montembeault was quickly rendered expendable. Now finding himself with a new home in Montreal, Montembeault hasn’t necessarily progressed much on the depth chart, but will regardless find himself as Jake Allen’s backup for the time being. With starting option Carey Price out with knee surgery, the Habs will run with the one-two tandem of Allen and Montembeault, whilst letting top prospect Cayden Primeau continue to hone his skills in Laval.

Samuel Montembeault brings some high upside to the Montreal Canadiens net, after being claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

As compared to previous season’s, Habs GM Marc Bergevin has brought in a fair amount of competition in the Canadiens and Rocket’s crease for 2021-22, which Montembeault will doubtless find himself in the middle of. Earlier in the off-season, I wrote a piece talking about the Rocket’s suspected three-way battle going into this season, with Primeau, Michael McNiven, and AHL-contracted option Kevin Poulin all vying for playing time. Now adding in the likelihood of Motembeault seeing action in Laval, and Rocket head coach Jean-Francois Houle will have some juggling to do similar to last season.

While he’s struggled to put up solid numbers thus far, Montembeault has shown flashes of his potential in the NHL and is still young at just 24 years old. He doesn’t stand out in any particular area, but still has a penchant for flashy save here and then, and has the athleticism to make the brilliant diving stop when needed. In between his short 25-game stint in Florida, he managed to hop to the tune of a solid 9-8-3 record with a 3.20 GAA. Nothing spectacular, mind you, but he gets the job done when needed, and that’s exactly what Montreal is looking for.

After having to deal with a continued lack of reliable second options, Bergevin struck gold with his acquisition of Allen, with the former St. Louis Blues starter being the reason the Canadiens found themselves in the 2021 playoffs in the first place. Now seemingly removed from the days of Antti Niemi and Charlie Lindgren, Bergevin has added yet another solid piece in Montembeault, and the Habs should be able to jog along at a brisk pace to start this season, even with Price’s timetable for return still being questionable.

As for the Rocket, Montembeault will likely see limited playing time in Laval should be sent down, but in the case of an extended stint, it will make things difficult yet again for undrafted option McNiven, who has fought tooth and nail to secure a starting role in Laval and yet still, can’t catch a break. Awful pre-season goals aside, it seems as though a stint with the Trois-Rivieres Lions is continually in the cards for Poulin, where he should be able to excel after spending the 2020-21 season in the Swedish first division.

With the 2021-22 season eerily approaching, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves with a rough start in the pre-season but will nonetheless carry a lot of expectations into the regular season after a Stanley Cup Finals run in 2020-21. With the franchise option in Price out for the time being however, Habs fans are hoping they’ve found yet another unfulfilled net-front option, in Samuel Montembeault.