With the Montreal Canadiens season officially behind us, many people are looking ahead, with the NHL Draft Lottery being the next big event on the Canadiens hockey calendar. And while we here at A Winning Habit are excited about that as well, we first want to look back at the season and evaluate the team, position by position. So today, we’ll be looking back at how the goaltenders performed for the Canadiens this season.
I don’t think it’s an outlandish thing to say the goaltenders were the best and most consistent part of the Montreal Canadiens this year. That’s largely thanks to health, a rare theme for the Habs, with Jake Allen missing some time but still starting in 41 games this year. Sam Montembeault started in 39, and Cayden Primeau made two starts towards the end of the year.
When evaluating the position, it’s important to remember that the team in front of them also plays a role in a goaltender’s success. You can only ask so much of the netminders if the guys around them aren’t playing well. So with that, let’s look at the goalies and how they performed this year.