Jacob Fowler's season ended early this past weekend when his Boston College Eagles were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the University of Denver. It was the second consecutive year where Fowler's title hopes were put to bed by Zeev Buium and the Pioneers, which leads Montreal Canadiens fans to wonder if a contract will soon be signed between Fowler and the Canadiens.
It's easy to imagine a world where Fowler signs his contract and comes to Montreal to bail out the Habs abysmal goaltending situation at the moment. Sam Montembeault was a star for the Canadiens out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but has been struggling recently. Canadiens fans want Fowler to take the reins, but I'm here to put some water on that fire that's starting to spread on social media.
Fowler was a star for Boston College for the second straight season. It would've been challenging for him to top the statistics he recorded in 2023-24, but the sophomore netminder did it. The win/loss record wasn't as dominant as last season, but he recorded a whopping 1.63 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. The results are there to show he could be the next star goaltender in the NHL.
The Canadiens will have to be delicate with Fowler, as goaltenders don't follow the same developmental path as skaters. Some college stars go straight to the NHL and become a household name, as the Washington Capitals hope will be the case with Fowler's teammate Ryan Leonard. However, that strategy doesn't always work out for goalies.
Devon Levi is the best example of this strategy not working. Levi left Northeastern University in 2023 and joined the Buffalo Sabres for their last seven games. He was a star quickly, owning a 5-2 record with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. However, he struggled the following year and hasn't really had the same success in his NHL starts.
Levi is a stud in the American Hockey League, but predominantly played there over the last two seasons. He gets some opportunities in Buffalo, but it always ends in poor play. Levi played nine games in Buffalo this season, owning a 4.12 goals-against average and a .872 save percentage.
You can't outright say that the Sabres rushing Levi into the starting role in Buffalo was the reason he continues to struggle with confidence at the NHL level, but it's not something the Canadiens' front office wants to find out. It'd be nice for Fowler to join the Canadiens and attempt to bring them to the playoffs, but not at the expense of his future.
Try to convince Fowler to sign a PTO and attempt to win a Calder Cup with the Laval Rocket if he does want to turn pro. Even start him in Laval next season if he isn't ready. There should be no rush for Fowler to debut in Montreal.