With preseason hockey officially underway, we are that much closer to the puck dropping on the 2025-2026 NHL regular season. Fresh off the best campaign of his career, Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault enters the year looking to anchor the team's crease again and help guide the club to the playoffs for a second straight season.
After establishing himself as the Canadiens' number one goaltender, Montembeault enters the new campaign with more responsibility and pressure than ever. The Canadiens know their playoff hopes will once again rest heavily on his shoulders, and early signs from the preseason suggest he’s ready to embrace the challenge.
High expectations ahead for Canadiens' goaltender Sam Montembeault
Montembeault kicked off the preseason on the right foot, stopping 20 of 21 shots in the first half of the Canadiens' 2-1 victory over the Penguins before making way for Jacob Fowler, who completed the second half of the game. Montembeault picked up right where he left off last season, but with the regular season just a couple of weeks away, what should fans expect from the goaltender in his fifth year with the Canadiens?
Présaison ou pas, ça vaut une reprise
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 22, 2025
Preseason or not, this is worth another look#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/pxa60vsa2l
Unlike last season, Montembeault enters 2025-26 with legitimate competition for the Canadiens’ crease. For now, though, thanks to his stellar play a year ago, the net is still his for the foreseeable future. In the 2024-25 season, Montembeault appeared in 62 of the Canadiens' 82 regular-season games and started 60 of them, both career highs. While part of that was due to the lack of a reliable backup following Jake Allen’s departure, Montembeault deserves full credit for seizing the opportunity he earned.
In those 62 appearances, Montembeault recorded a career-high 31 wins and a career-best 2.82 goals against average, a save percentage of .901, and four shutouts, another career-best tally. That performance firmly established him as coach Martin St. Louis's clear-cut number one goaltender heading into this season. But unlike last year, his challengers are closer than ever.
Jakub Dobes impressed in limited NHL action last spring and is expected to make an even bigger impact in his second pro season. While he’s likely to begin the year in the AHL, his return to the Canadiens as Montembeault’s backup feels inevitable.
It’s unlikely Dobes pushes for the starting job this season, but if he thrives and Montembeault stumbles, the pressure will mount. Add in the steady rise of top prospect Jacob Fowler, and the Canadiens’ crease suddenly looks deeper than it has in years.
Montembeault’s job isn’t in immediate jeopardy, but the margin for error is shrinking. Expectations are higher than ever, and with playoff hockey now an expectation for the group, his performance will be under an even brighter spotlight. But could this lead to even better numbers from Montembeault? Fans and management alike are hopeful.
The bar is higher for Montembeault in 2025-26
What the Canadiens need from Montembeault in 2025-26 is not necessarily another jump in raw talent, but greater consistency. His .901 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average were career highs, but his play still had peaks and valleys throughout the year. Building a steadier form game to game will be crucial if the Canadiens hope to return to the postseason and take the next step forward.
Realistically, Montembeault is expected to start between 55 and 60 games, which should be more manageable with Dobes (or maybe Fowler??) easing into the backup role. With what should be a deeper defensive corps in front of him, fans will be looking for their goaltender to push his save percentage closer to .910 while keeping his goals-against average in the high-2s. But wins are as important as ever, as the team has shifted from rebuild to playoff hopefuls. Montembeault is expected to lead the team to 30+ wins again this season.
The Canadiens don't need him to win the Vezina; they need him to be reliable, calm, and capable of stealing games when the team is outmatched. Last year, he finished ninth in Vezina voting. If the Canadiens significantly improve, maybe Montebeault will enter the conversation and be eventually seen as elite, because it feels overdue for the high number of shots he faces on a game-by-game basis. For reference, Montembeault made a total of 1,513 saves last season, sixth most among goaltenders. Fans are hoping he doesn't have to make as many this season.
It is no secret that Montembeault isn't the long-term answer in goal, but the job he has done thus far has been valiant, and clearly greatly appreciated by fans and management. If Montembeault can reach or even surpass these expectations, the playoffs should be well within reach, and once the Canadiens get there, anything can happen.