A rising face in the Montreal Canadiens system is making his way back to the NHL. The team announced on Wednesday that they recalled goalie Jacob Fowler.
The decision comes after Sam Montembeault suffered a non-contact injury in practice. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, more should be known about his injury and status by Thursday.
Sam Montembeault injured today at practice…should know more tomorrow about his situation/status https://t.co/h7EuikqvfR
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 7, 2026
It’s not a surprising move, but a discussion needs to be had about whether the move necessarily makes sense. Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting, but his future should come into play when making these decisions.
For the record, the move is understandable
Why would he not be next in line? He’s seen NHL action. He’s the exciting name. Any chance you have to bring him up makes it hard to say no.
If they don’t have Montembeault for a time, they’ll want to bring up who they feel is the next-best available option. The numbers back up the move, too,
Last season, he finished with a .908 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average. For the advanced stats, he finished with a 7.1 goals saved above expected. For someone who was thrust into a playoff push as a rookie, he deserves his due credit for his performance.
This still may not be the right call
Every team wants the best talent available, but it’s different for a backup goalie. They don’t play every game, and a major reason Fowler is off the island in Laval is so he can get regular playing time.
Dobes is a great goalie, but Fowler is the true future netminder for the Montreal Canadiens. He’s the one being spoken of in the same breath as Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden.
While the numbers he’s put up in the NHL so far are solid, especially in the current landscape with save percentages on the decline, the expectations are way higher. If he sits around so he can back up Jakub Dobes, then he misses the reps needed to reach those heights.
Other options with NHL experience are available, notably Kaapo Kähkönen, who has 140 career games played. He hasn’t put up the same numbers recently as he did earlier in the decade, but that’s still an option that would make sense if they need a backup and nothing more.
There is a balance that can be struck
He’s been called up. The decision has been made. It’s not fair to just say it’s the wrong call. If he’s already here, it’s at least worth discussing if there’s a way to balance his future with the immediate need.
It’s a simple solution. Split the playing time evenly. While I’ve already made it clear that Dobes is deserving of getting more time before anybody panics, if Fowler is here, that could change the narrative.
Dobes’ early struggles could justify more of an even split than just having Fowler sit as a backup. Therefore, he can get those valuable reps against the best of the best.
It’s not the most ideal situation for his development. Seeing NHL action before he’s fully ready can stifle development, but getting those reps at all is better than just sitting around.
Whether or not they do this is dependent on updates to Montembeault on Thursday and what they personally feel is best. Time will tell, but if he’s already here, this is the best way to approach it.
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