Could this be Samuel Montembeault's last year as starter?

The Montreal Canadiens have been spoiled with great goalies since they joined the league as part of The Original Six.

With Carey Price gone into the sunset and the Habs having turned a new leaf with Samuel Montembeault between the pipes, he is the guy right now. Until somebody else steals that role from him, Montembeault will continue to run with the torch. Each season since he joined the Canadiens, he has proven able to continue improving.

Montembeault has provided the Habs with a great option to hold the fort while the team needs him most. He hasn't had it easy, with a young and inexperienced squad to a team that has had some time to develop. But he has proven that he can handle the pressure, and when it comes down to a battle for the starter role, he will certainly let his play do the talking.

Could Cayden Primeau steal Montembeault's role?

It would take a brilliant season from Cayden Primeau and a forgettable one from Montembeault, for the former to usurp the latter. But hockey is a sport that can be cutthroat, with each passing game, if a player doesn't perform another is waiting in the wings to do so. I think Primeau is ready to take a big step, and if he does, it's a curious question to see what will happen.

Kent Hughes dished out some serious cash for Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. In a few years, Lane Hutson will need his money also and the book balancing will need to be taken into account. Primeau, if he hits could be a cheaper alternative to Montembeault.

There is also Jakub Dobes, who is still only early in his professional career and will be looking to get a taste of the NHL pie soon enough. Each passing season is very important, so to say the 2024-25 season will be most important wouldn't be fair. But when Jacob Fowler is ready to jump to the pros, he will need some starts, which will cause a shift.

If ever there was a good time for Primeau to start showing out it would be this season, that way he can secure himself in Montreal. If not, then perhaps it means he finds a role elsewhere and brings back a sweet addition. But let's focus on Montreal - Primeau establishing himself as a starter, would take the heat off from beneath him.

Dobes will have this year to show his stuff at training camp and I expect that Habs management will keep a close eye on his development. I also expect that Fowler will look to improve on his freshman statistics and prove that he is ready to turn pro. With both inching closer, I think Primeau will do his best to give Montembeault all he can handle before the two-horse race has another challenger join the fold.