Canadiens: In Other News… Price out Long-Term, Tokarski Named Backup

Canadiens Defense Will be Tested with Tandem of Montembeault, Allen

The Canadiens waiver-wire addition of Samuel Montembeault is something I talked about not too long ago, but after speculating as to where the 24-year-old goaltender will fit into the Canadiens organization, it seems as though he’ll be donning the blue, blanc, et rouge for at least the foreseeable future, with Price out long-term. Getting the majority of the starts in the meantime, will be Price’s backup last season, former St. Louis Blues starter Jake Allen. In many ways, Allen’s value to the Canadiens last season was underappreciated by many, especially after Price’s near-superhuman performance in the 2021 playoffs. After being acquired by Montreal in what was primarily a salary-dump move by St. Louis, Allen stepped up big for the Canadiens after Price went down with a concussion in a game against the Edmonton Oilers.

While his 11-12-5 record, 2.68 GAA and .907 SVP don’t necessarily jump off the page, the Canadiens wouldn’t have made the playoffs in the first place had Allen not been the starter during Price’s absence. While he wasn’t perfect, he got the job done when needed, and saved the Canadiens from a nightmarish juggling act of Charlie Lindgren and Cayden Primeau in goal. Now, once again, Allen has the keys to the Canadiens crease, and I have reason to believe Montreal will be just fine with him in goal to start the season. A former second round pick of the Blues in 2008, Allen posted back-to-back seasons of 61 and 59 games played in 2016-17 and 2017-18, before struggles with inconsistency led to St. Louis turning to similarly inconsistent starting option Jordan Binnington.

While Binnington has been remarkably hit or miss in St. Louis since being named starter, Allen has given the Canadiens the reliable second option they’d long been lacking in. As for Montembeault, while the former Florida Panther hasn’t posted incredible numbers at the NHL level, he’s reliable above all else and will give Primeau a chance to further develop in Laval. In the end, Bergevin has managed to navigate Price’s absence well enough for the time being, and it’ll be interesting to see how these two fair as the Canadiens one-two tandem in goal.