The Toronto Maple Leafs seemed to unofficially kick off the offseason by agreeing to a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that included former starting goalie Joseph Woll. For the Montreal Canadiens, it is something that should give them confidence if they pursue trading Samuel Montembeault this summer.
The trade between the Maple Leafs and Flyers saw Toronto sending Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Flyers for goalie Samuel Ersson, defensemen Emil Andrae, and a third-round pick in the upcoming NHL Draft later this month.
Woll's past two seasons appear to be almost identical to what Montembeault has done, as he was the starter for the 2024-25 season with a save percentage of .909 and a goals against average of 2.73. However, this past season he struggled and finished with a save percentage of .898 and a goals against average of 3.34.
Meanwhile, Montembeault was the starter for the Canadiens two seasons ago with a save percentage of .901 and a goals against average of 2.82. He was inconsistent early in the season and eventually lost the starting job to Jakub Dobes and Montembeault finished with a save percentage of .873 and a goals against average of 3.43.
Montreal Canadiens shouldn't have a problem finding a trade partner for Samuel Montembeault
While the Canadiens might not get much of a return by trading Samuel Montembeault, it does bring clarity to the position. They will not have to worry about juggling three goalies, and they make it clear that they are moving forward with Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler as their goalies.
On top of that, they will also clear some cap space as Montembeault has an AAV of $3.15 million, and his contract could actually make him easier to move compared to Woll. The former Maple Leafs goalie had two years left on his contract with a higher AAV at $3.75 million, according to PuckPedia.
The one position that every team seems to be on the hunt for this summer is at goalie, and it takes just one team to believe that Montembeault can bounce back. It will be interesting to see how the Canadiens address this over the next few weeks and what the return ultimately will be in a trade.
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