Going into last season, the Montreal Canadiens' unquestioned starter was Samuel Montembeault. He was coming off the best season of his career, helping the Canadiens make the playoffs for the first time since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. Things change quickly in the NHL. You can be on top of the world one day and be at rock bottom the next. That is exactly what happened to Montembeault. He struggled early in the season and never rediscovered his form from the previous year, which opened the door for Jakub Dobes to take over as the team’s number one goalie. Dobes was incredible last season, starting the season with six consecutive wins, but that was nothing compared to what he did in the playoffs. Now heading into next season with a new contract extension, Dobes is Montreal’s starting goalie, but if he starts to falter, how long do they give him to find his game?
Dobes emerged as the number 1 goalie
Looking at how last season played out, the Canadiens should have made Dobes the unquestioned starter sooner. While Montembeault was struggling in the crease, Dobes became just the 10th rookie goalie in NHL history to win each of his first six appearances. Instead of rolling with the hot hand, the Canadiens tried their best to get Montembeault back in rhythm, which negatively impacted Dobes’ game. The long gaps between starts likely affected Dobes, who has shown he is at his best when his confidence is high. The rough patch forced the Canadiens' hand in calling up their top goalie prospect, Jacob Fowler. The new tandem of Dobes and Fowler seemed to have solidified the team’s goaltending, and by the end of the season, the crease belonged to the Canadiens' two young goalies. Dobes took over the reins as the team’s starter and, over the second half of the season, was one of the best goalies in the entire NHL.
Dobes came into his own down the final stretch of the season, winning seven of his final 10 starts, and somehow was even better in the playoffs. It is safe to say that without Dobes, the Canadiens would not have made it out of their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning. All you have to do is look at his performance in Game 7. The Canadiens struggled offensively throughout the series, but it was not as prominent as it was in Game 7. Montreal was held to just nine shots, but that did not matter because Dobes stopped 28 out of the 29 shots he faced, helping the Canadiens stun the Lightning 2-1. Dobes proved throughout the playoffs that he has the potential to be the Canadiens' next franchise goalie, and they rewarded him with a three-year, $16.05 million contract this offseason. He now has the money of a starting-calibre goalie, but just as quickly as he rose, he can fall.
Canadiens have two talented young goalies
Dobes is not the only Canadiens goalie with star potential. It was not too long ago when Fowler was viewed as the future of the Canadiens, but after Dobes’ incredible season, he will have to be the second-choice goalie for now. The original plan last season was for Fowler to be with the Laval Rocket all season, but Montembeault's subpar play threw a wrench in the Canadiens' plan. Fowler was called up and made his debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was spectacular in his debut, recording 36 saves in a 4-2 win, joining the likes of Carey Price, Ken Dryden, and Patrick Roy in getting their first career win against the Penguins. Fowler went 9-6-2 in his starts, posting a 2.43 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage, looking every bit a potential future star. The only thing was that Dobes was even better.
Dobes went 29-10-4 in his starts, posting a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. He deserves to go into next season as the starter, and the contract shows that he will be. However, if his play does drop off, how long do the Canadiens give him to figure it out? Montembeault was the Canadiens' starter for over three seasons, and all it took was 25 games for him to lose his place in the rotation. Not to say Dobes' play will fall off a cliff, but if his numbers do dip and Fowler starts to outplay him, how long before the Canadiens make the difficult call to roll with the young American netminder? It is a great situation to be in as an organization, having two goalies who could potentially one day be your unquestioned starting goalie, but finding the balance in giving the two netminders enough games to keep them happy could present the team with a problem in the not-so-distant future.
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