At first glance, it feels almost wrong to even suggest sending Jakub Dobes to the Laval Rocket. Not because he has been bad all season, but because of how good things looked early on. Yet, quietly, the circumstances around the Montreal Canadiens’ crease have changed. With Jacob Fowler earning trust and Samuel Montembault rediscovering his game, Dobes may find himself caught in the middle, and that’s where the sneaky possibility of a Laval assignment starts to make sense.
The Situation Has Shifted
Since his Dec. 21 start, Dobes has played just one more game, on Jan. 1. For a young goaltender trying to establish himself at the NHL level, that’s not much runway. In that same span, Fowler has continued to earn starts and, more importantly, confidence from the coaching staff. Fowler is being trusted not just because of his long-term upside, but because he’s delivering right now. His .908 save percentage is the best among Canadiens goalies, and his calm, composed presence has stood out despite his age.
Then there’s Samuel Montembeault. After a brief two-game stint in Laval, Montembeault has returned looking like the goalie the Canadiens leaned on during last season’s playoff push. In his last three starts since coming back, Montembeault is a perfect 3-0-0. He’s allowed just seven goals and made 77 saves in that stretch. There’s nothing flashy about his game right now, and that’s exactly the point. He’s solid, predictable, and gives his team a chance to win every night.
When you combine Fowler’s strong play and Montembeault’s resurgence, the rotation suddenly gets tight. The Canadiens are in a stretch where results matter, and Martin St. Louis has shown he’ll lean on the goalies he trusts most in the moment. Right now, that trust is leaning away from Dobes, even if that’s not a long-term indictment of his talent.
Dobes Needs Games
The most important part of this conversation isn’t about punishing Dobes or downgrading his ceiling. It’s about development. Dobes is just 24 years old and still very much a goaltender in progress. If the organization sees him as a potential long-term number two in Montreal, which remains realistic, then sitting on the bench for weeks at a time does him no favours.
Goaltenders need rhythm. They need repetitions, mistakes, adjustments, and confidence built through consistent action. Watching from the press box or backing up without playing can stall that process. Laval, on the other hand, offers exactly what Dobes might need right now: meaningful minutes, heavy workloads, and high-leverage games as the Rocket push toward the postseason.
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There’s also a practical layer to this discussion. Dobes is waiver exempt. The Canadiens can send him to Laval without risking losing him to another team. That flexibility matters, especially when Fowler and Montembeault both require NHL ice time for different reasons. Fowler needs NHL exposure to continue his upward trajectory, while Montembeault needs consistent starts to fully reestablish himself.
Sending Dobes down wouldn’t close the door on his NHL future. If anything, it keeps him sharp and ready should injuries arise or performance dip elsewhere. It’s less about demotion and more about alignment.
A Slower Stretch That Can Be Worked On
Dobes’ season tells two very different stories. He opened the year on fire, starting 6-0-0 with a 1.97 goals-against average (GAA) and a sparkling .930 save percentage (SV%). During that stretch, his confidence was high, his reads were quick, and the results spoke for themselves.
Since then, things have cooled significantly. Dobes now sits at 7-5-3, with a 3.46 GAA and an .871 SV%. That’s a steep drop, and while team defence plays a role, there are elements of his game that could benefit from refinement, rebound control, tracking through traffic, and managing scrambles around the crease.
Those are exactly the kinds of details that can be addressed in Laval, where he’d be playing regularly rather than sporadically. Development doesn’t always move in a straight line, especially for goaltenders. Sometimes the next best step is a step sideways, not backward.
In the end, the idea of Dobes heading to Laval isn’t about failure. It’s about timing, opportunity, and maximizing development. With Fowler rising, Montembeault stabilizing, and Dobes needing games, the sneaky solution may be the simplest one, and the smartest for everyone involved.
