The Montreal Canadiens find themselves off to a scorching start to the season, and a lot has to do with the tremendous goaltending they have been playing in front of. Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault have been playing great, ensuring the Canadiens are in every game until the end. The team isn’t just carrying two goalies, however: due to waivers, general manager (GM) Kent Hughes has decided to keep three goalies on the Montreal roster. Cayden Primeau is the third goalie, which gives the Habs an advantage in the goalie market.
Canadiens’ Success is on the Back of Their Goaltenders
The Canadiens can thank Allen and Montembeault for starting the season with 12 out of 18 points. The Habs find themselves as one of the top teams in the league, surprising many with their place in the standings, especially considering that the team has been outshot and outplayed almost every game. In most games, they have been behind and managed to come back to either win or force the game to overtime (OT) before going on to pick up a point or a win. The comebacks are directly attributed to the goaltenders keeping the games close and making big saves when it matters.
So far this season, Allen is 3-0-1 with a 2.63 goals-against average (GAA) and a .930 save percentage (SV%). Montembeault’s numbers are not as good but not terrible either, with a record of 2-1-1, 2.91 GAA and .905 SV%. The Canadiens’ young defence has improved from last season but still gives up a lot of shots and high-danger chances. Allen’s worst game was the first game of the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he allowed six goals in an OT loss. Montembeault’s worst game was a five-goal loss to the Minnesota Wild. Besides those two games, neither goalie has had more than three goals against or a SV% below .917. Primeau has only played one game, and that was against the high-flying New Jersey Devils where he allowed four goals on 33 shots in his first start in two weeks since he played in the preseason.
Canadiens Need to Take Advantage of the Goalie Market
The Canadiens are in an excellent position to take advantage of what looks to be a hot goalie market this season. Carrying three goaltenders gives them the advantage of moving one without causing any issues with their own current goaltending situation. With Allen and Montembeault playing so well, they could bring interest from other teams willing to overpay for goaltending help. GM Hughes might want to keep both goalies for the season and trade young prospect Primeau. His showing against the Devils doesn’t look great on paper, but he played very well, considering he was essentially thrown to the wolves for his first game of the season. Several teams could be in the market for a goaltender: the Tampa Bay Lightning started the season with Andrei Vasilevskiy on the injury list, and the Buffalo Sabers had their starter Eric Comrie injured and potentially out for a few weeks, along with an injury to their other goalie, Devon Levi, but he is listed as day-to-day.
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The Colorado Avalanche have started the season without backup goalie Pavel Francouz, and other teams have been dealing with struggling goalies like the Los Angeles Kings, Devils, and Edmonton Oilers. The Canadiens have many options if they want to move one of their goaltenders. They knew the interest was out there when they kept Primeau on the roster because they heard a team might claim him if he was put on waivers. With three goalies, the Habs can take full advantage of the teams who could use goaltending help, especially teams with playoff or Stanley Cup aspirations. If Hughes isn’t worried about who gets traded, he can offer what he thinks is best for his team and the goalie who could generate the best return. With teams desperate for a goaltender, the Canadiens GM will be holding all the cards.
Canadiens Need to Move the Right Goalie for the Best Return
The three goalies currently with the Canadiens all have their pros and cons. The one thing is that none of them are established starting goaltenders, but they all could be quality backups. Most teams looking for a goalie right now would be looking for a quality backup or part-time starter. The most qualified would be Allen, who has been a starter but is best suited to be a backup. He could provide any team with a quality backup and part-time starter when needed, and he also has the most experience. Montembeault has improved since he first arrived with the Canadiens two seasons ago from waivers; he has shown he can play well under pressure and be a quality backup for any team. The one thing he hasn’t done is prove he could play the role of a starter for an extended period. Primeau has high potential to be an NHL goalie but has yet to prove it at the NHL level, and he would be the most significant risk for any team looking for a quality backup.
The best option money-wise for any team trying to acquire a Canadiens goaltender would be Montembeault. He is on a one-year $1 million contract. He also has NHL experience and can handle the pressure of the NHL in small doses, but he can be inconsistent. Primeau is signed for the next two seasons, albeit for only $890,000. He can provide goaltending depth but has not proven to be much more than that – his potential would be the best thing Hughes has to sell him on. Allen, money-wise, has the worst contract but the best pedigree, signed for two more seasons at $3.85 million. His heavy price tag could ward off potential buyers unless they need the experience, but Montreal could get less in return due to his high salary.
Although the Canadiens have an advantage by having three capable goaltenders on the roster, moving one may not be quite as easy as one thinks. With Christian Dvorak due back soon, the team will need to make a roster move. The best option would be to move a goaltender, and if they don’t want to lose Primeau on waivers, a trade is the only way to do it. Adding up all the factors, the best goaltender that Montreal has to move is Montembeault as he is cheap, young and proven. Allen is the best option for other teams as far as experience goes, but his price tag is too high, at least this season, and Primeau is just too raw with no long-term NHL experience.
Unless Hughes thinks Montembeault is the future of the Canadiens until Jacob Fowler or one of the other goaltender prospects is ready to take over, it looks like if a goaltender is going to be traded, it could be him.