It was a wild ride of a season for the Montreal Canadiens this past season and that was true for goaltending as well. What started as a Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau partnership became a solo gig before Montembeault was partnered with rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes. Let’s look at the Habs’ goaltending this past season.
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Samuel Montembeault
When Kent Hughes elected to trade Jake Allen to the New Jersey Devils towards the end of the 2023-24 season and after signing Montembeault to a three-year contract extension worth $9.45 M, the message was clear: he was now the number one.
The Becancour native had never played more than 41 games, but this year, he played in 62 games and, for the first time in his career, reached the 30-win plateau. He had a career year with a 31-24-7 record, a 2.80 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage.
It wasn’t a perfect year, though, and there is plenty of room for improvement. For instance, he must learn to shut the door when the Canadiens have just scored a big goal. Nothing kills momentum like conceding a goal when you just scored one, which happened quite a few times this season.
Furthermore, towards the end of the regular season, he was too often beaten by shots from far out that should have been stopped; perhaps, like the rest of the team, he was learning to deal with the nerves brought on by the magnitude of the moment.
Still, he made significant progress this season, and without him, there would have been no playoffs. In an ideal world, he wouldn’t have seen as much action. If all goes according to plan, the Canadiens should be able to share the workload more evenly next season. He gets a B for his performances in 2024-25.
Cayden Primeau
After showing positive signs during the 2023-24 season, Primeau had what could be appropriately categorized as a fall from grace. He was often in the net when the Canadiens suffered some of their more lopsided losses of the season. By the time he was sent down to the Laval Rocket after the Christmas break, his save percentage had fallen to just .836 while his GAA stood at 4.70, the worst amongst goaltenders who had played at least nine games.
Ultimately, he only played 11 games with the Canadiens, down from 23 the year before. In 2023-24, his GAA stood at 2.99 and his SP .910. He seemed to be losing the net behind him; his positioning and balance were wrong. With no safety net and not being the third goaltender this year, his performance came crashing down. For years now, we’ve been saying his development was affected by the lack of playing time in the Covid season, but the pandemic is over, and everyday activities have resumed.
What’s puzzling, however, is that once he was demoted to the AHL, he became an entirely different goaltender. In 26 games with the Rocket, he had a 21-2-2 record, a 1.96 GAA, and a .927 SP.
At this stage, one must wonder if he has what it takes to play in the NHL. He was, after all, a seventh-round pick, and the way he was able to right the ship in the lower league is surprising. If it is an issue with handling pressure, that’s far from ideal for a goaltender. Being the last line of defence does come with a considerable chunk of pressure, and that’s in any NHL market.
His contract will expire at the end of the AHL playoffs, and Kent Hughes will undoubtedly have to ponder what to do with the restricted free agent. Let him go? Keep him in the AHL in a partnership with Jacob Fowler?
His performance with the Canadiens would have earned him a failing grade, but his spectacular bounce back with the Rocket brings him up to a C-.
Jakub Dobes
His arrival after the Christmas break was a breath of fresh air, and his start was nothing short of extraordinary. He won his first five games, including a shutout win over the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, and was playing fearlessly.
He’s far from technically sound, and his positioning can be off at times, but he’s a fighter in the net, and he’ll do whatever he needs to reach that piece of vulcanized rubber. As a result, his saves often look spectacular and are crowd pleasers. His confidence and bravado in the net are interesting to see. He stands his ground and has an active stick when players try to disturb him.
In 16 games, he had a 7-4-3 record, a 2.74 GAA, and a .909 SP. While he went through a dry spell after his five consecutive wins, he bounced back nicely before the end of the season and was ready to take over when Montembeault went down to injury in the playoffs.
In three postseason games, he was 1-2-0 with a 2.91 GAA and a .881 SP. The lack of experience was apparent a few times, and his hesitation resulted in a couple of goals, but overall, given the circumstances, it would have been hard to ask for more from him.
For now, at least, it looks like the backup role will be his to lose at next camp unless, of course, Hughes has a secret plan we’re not yet privy to. It’s a small sample, but I give him a B minus for what he showed this season.
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