Montreal Canadiens: Options For The Habs Goaltender Of The Future

The Montreal Canadiens had long been spoiled with an elite starting goaltender. Carey Price manned the crease for years and did so with his trademark calm, poised demeanour. But his career has seemingly come to a close since bowing out at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

Without an established number-one goaltender patrolling the crease, it begs the question, who will be the next great Canadiens goaltender? Or, at the very least, who will be the next long-term starter that can help the team reach the postseason and win some playoff games?

Montembeault has done his best, and at this juncture seems to be the best bet to hold the role for the foreseeable future. But is he really a long term starting goalie of a rebuilt team, or just a stopgap option for a rebuilding team? His .901 save percentage from last season was a career high, so the 26 year old has a long way to go before he locks himself in as the starter of the future. He also needs a new contract a year from now, so he is not guaranteed to be here beyond the 2023-24 season.

Cayden Primeau is yet to prove that he can be a reliable netminder at the pro level. He has had ups and downs in the AHL but has not performed well in his several chances in the NHL.

There are a couple of prospects selected in recent drafts, that are options. Goaltending is a finicky position at the best of times, as we recently saw Jacob Markstrom go from Vezina finalist to struggling overpaid goaltender in one offseason.

So, which prospects stands out, and who has the poise and highest potential to take the reigns in the future and hold such a crucial role?

Here are three options for the Canadiens’ potential number-one starter of the future.

Trade Route

Aside from Fowler and Dobes, the Canadiens are relatively thin in their goaltending prospect pool. Montembeault and Jake Allen will split duties in the crease for the foreseeable future, and Montembeault will be given every opportunity to run with the starting role. While he is young, he could be a free agent in a year, and it’s never too early to start developing another goalie or two.

Because of the lack of legitimate NHL-caliber goaltending depth, an interesting option to explore could be the trade market. The rest of the Canadiens’ prospect pool is quite loaded at all positions, and that could provide a good opportunity to pry a goaltending prospect out of another NHL system via trade.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers look to be set with their goaltending, as Bobrovsky proved he can still perform at an elite level and his new backup Anthony Stolarz can provide a nice one-two punch. They are both aging, but the Canadiens could possibly add a goalie, a draft selection and one of the Canadiens’ intriguing forward prospects in exchange for Spencer Knight. Knight has dealt with his own personal issues, but if he could hone some of the magic from his time with Cole Caufield at the USNTDP, he could be a very interesting option.

Nashville Predators

After Pekka Rinne retired, the Predators were confident in their goaltending going forward; as Juuse Saros provided the perfect heir-apparent to the throne. With both Saros and Kevin Lankinen, the Predators have a nice duo of NHL goalies, both of which are still in their primes at 28 years old.

The Predators do have a nice piece developing down in the American League with the Milwaukee Admirals. Yaroslav Askarov is young, athletic, and competitive, and he has represented his home country, Russia on several occasions. He has just one professional season under his belt in North America, but should Kent Hughes prove able to acquire his services, he just might be a very long term option in goal.

All the suggestions are merely hypothetical, but it’s fascinating to see the different options available to Kent Hughes.

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