The Montreal Canadiens rebuild is going to count a lot on their goaltending, and at this juncture, it's hard to be too confident with the current tandem.
Samuel Montembeault hasn't played his best hockey, and while it's not fair to fault him, it's hard to win games when soft goals are going in. But this is less about Montembeault and more about his backup Cayden Primeau. A guy who thrives in the American Hockey League, but seems to lack the confidence to elevate his game to a level consistent enough to play in the National Hockey League.
I think on a contending team Montembeault would be the backup and in a role like that, he could be effective without playing too much. But in Montreal, right now, with Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes developing, they need an option to hold down the fort for now. I expect that once one of them is ready, Primeau will be gone and Montembeault will become the backup guy.
I like what Montembeault brings, but I feel like he might be overwhelmed from starting so many games, and Primeau's struggles have put a lot of pressure on his shoulders. It's not meant to tear down Primeau, because each time he plays, I am pulling for him to put everything together. But at some point, he needs to prove that he can do it, it's the sad reality, but he either rises to the challenge or somebody else does it.
Another high draft pick is great, but winning is of greater importance
Very seldom does Montembeault have such a bad game that he gets pulled, it's rare, but it looks like the pressure of so many starts is starting to add up. Regardless of that, though, the Canadiens need to find a way to string some wins together, because while you can't win the cup early in the season, you can fall too far down the standings to climb back into the picture. When Montembeault needs a night off, Primeau doesn't give much confidence that the team will win.
Eventually missing out on two points consistently results in the conversation shifting from the playoffs, or a wildcard spot to a lottery pick. Getting the opportunity to draft early in any draft is special and sets the team up for success. But losing stings especially when there is a culture being established.
The 2025 Draft boasts some strong talents, but the focus should be squeezing into a playoff spot and then seeing what happens.