Throughout November, it looked like nobody on the Montreal Canadiens was interested in locking down the job as the No. 1 netminder. Then in mid-December, the Habs goaltenders started bouncing back and playing good hockey.
Injuries hit the Habs hard in early November, both Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault sputtered, and Jacob Fowler was brought up to the club on Dec. 11. Since then, Dobes and Montembeault have turned things around, they have been in much better shape, and the Canadiens have a three-headed monster in the net.
Elliotte Friedman spoke about the Canadiens' goalie situation on 32 Thoughts, talking about the trio's performance on a recent road trip. "The thing that impressed me the most was that all three goalies won, right? Like, they got some injuries, but Montembeault won games, Dobes won games, Fowler won games. They all had good performances."
He went on to say, "Now, I don't know what they're gonna do here in terms of keeping all three goalies. Are they trying to shine them up to move them elsewhere? What are they trying to do? We'll figure it all out. But the best thing for me about the trip is that all three goalies won games, and they all played well."
Canadiens have a major advantage in the net at midseason
The fact that all three goalies stepped up during a seven-game road trip during which they collected 10 out of 14 points puts them at a big advantage.
With each playing at a high level, the Canadiens could opt to move one for a game-changing player in a trade package if the opportunity arises. For a team hit hard with injuries, nobody would blame the Canadiens if they sent one elsewhere to deepen this group at either forward or defense.
Or, they can keep the trio past the trade deadline. If Dobes, Montembeault, and Fowler keep playing good hockey, they would give the Canadiens fresh legs in the net every night. Nobody knows what the Canadiens' plan is with these three, and Friedman laying out these options shows us why this is so advantageous.
If the trio keeps playing the way they have, the Canadiens have a great problem on their hands.