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Montreal Canadiens: 3 Reasons For Optimism In 2023-24

By Ken MacMillan

Apr 4, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) shoots a puck during warm-up before the game against the Detroit Red Wings at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) shoots a puck during warm-up before the game against the Detroit Red Wings at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 13, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /

Sam Montembeault

Sam Montembeault is not among the Vezina Trophy favorites heading into next season. Nor should he be, and I don’t expect him to be in that conversation at any point in the season either.

However, goaltending is a huge key to success in the National Hockey League. Perhaps more than anything else, a goaltender can change the fortunes of a hockey team. Montembeault played some great games last season, but also had a few clunkers that brought his overall numbers way down.

He finished the season having played 40 games for the Canadiens, and posted a 3.42 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Those are not great numbers, but a deeper look at them shows there is potential for him to be much better. A stat called goals saved above expected measures the quality of saves goaltenders make, and it had Montembeault tied for 11th in the league last season, even though he played just half his team’s games.

This would suggest he made a lot of high quality saves, even though the team allowed a lot of goals when he was in net. The 26 year old had not played a ton in previous years until last season and having played 38 games the previous year.

Can he funnel his experience into finding more consistency next season? His ability to make quality saves last season, and the fact he improved his numbers from the previous year would suggest he can continue building on what he did last season and be even better in 2023-24.

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