Montreal Canadiens Sign Sam Montembeault To Two-Year Extension

The Montreal Canadiens scratched another thing off the to-do list this evening. They were able to come to terms with one of their restricted free agents on a new contract.

Goaltender Sam Montembeault signed a two-year extension with an annual cap hit of $1 million. The contract is a one-way deal which means Montembeault is pocketing $2 million over the next two years whether he is playing in the NHL or AHL.

That is a nice contract for the 25 year old netminder. Montembeault played 38 games for the Canadiens last season, posting a 3.77 GAA and a .891 SV%. The contract is more indicative of where the Canadiens stand and their goaltending situation, than Montembeault’s performance with the team.

The Canadiens don’t expect to contend next season so they weren’t in the market for a top goaltender. They also don’t know what to expect from Carey Price next season, as he has still not been cleared to play next season and the team will have to continue waiting to see how many games they can expect from Price this season.

If Price can’t go, the Habs now have a solid Plan B with Jake Allen and Montembeault in goal to support a rebuilding team. If Price does play, Montembeault heads on waivers, but the contract makes it more difficult to see him go.

The one-way contract means Montembeault will make $1 million even if he plays in the minors, so that makes him less attractive to other teams. Also, the addition year does the same. Someone, like the Canadiens last season, might take Montembeault on waivers if he is making less than a million on the final year of his contract.

With this deal running through the 2024-25 season, interested teams may look elsewhere for goaltending depth if Montembeault does become available.

This also makes it more likely that Cayden Primeau will play all of next season with the Laval Rocket. He needs the development time and that is an ideal situation for him. Montembeault is the swing-guy who can play in the AHL if Price is healthy, or be recalled if Price is out.

It gives the Canadiens the right amount of veteran depth in net during what should be a down season. The result is Primeau playing a ton of games for the Rocket next season which is exactly what he needs.

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