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.
Want your voice heard? Join the A Winning Habit team!