Comparing the roles of Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau this season

As the Canadiens season gets underway at the Bell Centre tonight, the question of "Who is the Montreal Canadiens starting goaltender?" remains unanswered.

Last season, it was clear that Samuel Montembeault was the go-to guy for Martin St. Louis, and as he gets the start against Toronto, that may still be the case. However, Cayden Primeau is deserving of a look for the starting job. His statisitcs have been just as good if not better than Montembeault's have. Lets break down each of the goaltenders and speculate how their roles may progress.

Samuel Montembeault is the current starter for St. Louis. He is enterring his fourth season with the Canadiens, so he is well known by the staff and players.

The 27-year-old netminder played 41 games last season, posting a .903 save percentage. His statistics go beyond that, as his goals saved above expected last season was +3.3. His impact on the team is definitely positive.

Montembeault says that he loves Montreal. The culture of wanting to be a Canadien and play in front of the Montreal fans specifically is one the Canadiens would be fools not to want.

"Every time I get the call, I need to be ready to give the team a chance to win"

This article from NHL.com includes multiple quotes from Montembeault on his time in Montreal. My main takeaway from Montembeault's words are his mindset and his love for the team. Two things Canadiens fans want and love in a goaltender.

Cayden Primeau is no slacker. He made his full-time jump to the NHL last season, and he was sneakily excellent.

The 25-year-old American netminder posted a .910 save percentage through 23 games, as well as +3.6 goals saved above expected. Among goaltenders with 20 or more games played, Primeau was 24th in the NHL in the category of goals saved above expected per 60 minutes played.

While he is going into only his second full season of NHL hockey, the challenge for Montembeault to keep his role as starter is certainly there. Primeau was statistically better last season, and if he can keep it up, should have St. Louis and his staff begging the question of who should be starting more games for the Canadiens.

Now that the Canadiens have escaped their three-goaltender rotation, these two will finally have the opportunity to split the net and prove what they can do in the NHL. More than likely, these two will split the net until a clear cut starter is identified.

The internal competition of goaltenders in Montreal is only just beginning, as youngsters like Jacob fowler and Jakub Dobes climb the ranks each season.