In 2010, the Montreal Canadiens had two exciting young goalies battling it out to see who would become the team’s future franchise goalie. One was a fifth-overall pick expected to become the Canadiens’ next great goalie. The other was a ninth-round pick with little expectation who quickly emerged as one of the NHL’s best young goaltenders. While slightly different, it bears a resemblance to the Canadiens' current situation with Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler.
Who is Price, and who is Halak?
While Fowler was not a fifth-overall pick like Price, the 2023 third-round pick’s incredible collegiate career had analysts already pencilling him in as the next great Canadiens goalie. Those discussions intensified even further when he made his NHL debut this season. Fowler backstopped the Canadiens to victory with a 36-save performance in a 4-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The discussions did not only intensify because of his performance, but also because of who he got his first win against. Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, and Carey Price all got their first win against the Penguins, something Fowler now shares in common with three all-time great Canadiens.
Dobes' rise, on the other hand, draws similarities to Halak. Dobes was drafted earlier than Halak, fifth round compared to a ninth-round pick, but like the Slovakian goalie, did not come in with anyone crowning him as the future of the Canadiens. Dobes continued his development after being drafted, but he began to attract attention from analysts and fans during a midseason call-up to the Canadiens. With Cayden Primeau struggling, the Canadiens elected to bring up Dobes to see if he could bring stability to the team’s back-up goalie position.
His stock in the Canadiens organization began to skyrocket after his NHL debut. Not only did he have a 34-save shutout performance in his NHL debut, but he also became just the thirteenth goalie to win his first five career starts. While Halak did not win his first five career starts like Dobes, his rise up the Canadiens goalie ranks played out in a similar fashion. Halak made his NHL debut in the 2006-07 season when starting goalie Cristobal Huet went down with a groin injury. Halak played in 16 games that season, going 10-6 with a 2.89 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. His play down the stretch for the Canadiens opened up many people's eyes to the possibility that the franchise may have two future starting-calibre goalies waiting in the wings.
The Canadiens next great goalie tandem
Similar to Price and Halak, Fowler and Dobes became a tandem midway through the NHL season, albeit through different circumstances. Price started the 2007-08 season with the Canadiens as Huet’s back-up before the team decided to move forward with their two young netminders. The Canadiens traded Huet to the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline, bringing up Halak to act as Price’s backup.
Flash forward now to this season, Dobes started the season as Samuel Montembeault’s backup, with Fowler envisioned to play out the season with the Laval Rocket to further his development. Those were the plans, but after Montembeault’s continued struggles this season, the Canadiens believed that their best chance at winning games this season would be with the two young netminders tending the goal.
Both have played stellar since becoming the Canadiens tandem. Dobes has posted a 26-8-4 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, but he's coming off the hottest stretches of his career, where he was named the NHL first star of the week after going 3-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .962 save percentage. Fowler, on the other hand, has posted a 7-5-2 record with a 2.59 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, just a year after finishing his collegiate career.
The stellar play of Dobes and Fowler has already sparked discussion about who will one day take over as the future number one goalie of the Canadiens, but it is still too early to make that decision. Neither is a finished product yet, and just because one is playing better now does not mean he will be the best option going forward. The NHL is also very different from what it was back in 2010. The era of number one goalies playing 70+ games a season is long gone, with many NHL teams choosing to go with a 60/40 split in games, which helps keep your franchise goalie fresh for the playoffs. The discussion does not have to be which goalie will eventually take over as the number one, but instead it should be whether Dobes and Fowler can be the next great goalie tandem in the NHL.