Canadiens Bet on Dobes in Net with 3-Year Extension

One day after getting their arguable biggest bit of offseason business out of the way, the Montreal Canadiens were right back at it by extending goalie Jakub Dobes to a three-year, $16.07 million deal. They signed forward Ivan Demidov on Wednesday to an extension that should make him the team’s highest-paid forward once it comes into effect in 2027. Dobes’ new $5.358 million cap hit (also starting in 2027) may not be Earth-shattering, but it does represent a similar paradigm shift that should see him take on the team’s undisputed starter’s role.

Dobes’ 2026 Playoffs to Remember

There should be little doubt to that effect, after Dobes emerged as the team’s go-to down the stretch of the regular season, a successful 29-10-4 campaign for which he finished fourth in Calder Memorial Trophy voting (with Demidov finishing just behind Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders). The 25-year-old Czech followed that up with a 9-6-4 playoff run, over which he posted an impressive 2.66 goals-against average and .908 save percentage, while analytics (per MoneyPuck.com) positioned him as one of the absolute best goalies in between the pipes this postseason.

Starting the season, Dobes and Samuel Montembeault platooned in and out of the Canadiens’ crease. The latter struggled to a significant extent (10-8-4, 3.43 GAA, .872 SV%), opening the door for Dobes and fellow-rookie Jacob Fowler to make up the team’s tandem in the playoffs, where they reached the Eastern Conference Final, losing to the eventual-Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes in five games.

While Fowler is widely regarded as one of the top goaltending prospects in the game, Dobes, a fifth-round pick in 2020, has seemingly been given the reins with this latest contract, which will make him the team’s highest-paid goalie once his entry-level contract expires. Montembeault ($3.15 million cap hit) remains under contract until next summer, at which point he will be an unrestricted free agent. Fan focus this offseason now shifts onto him, specifically regarding whether or not he will remain with the Canadiens until then.