The Montreal Canadiens have an impressive young roster.
To maximize their talent and put together a special season, they need to get their goalie decision right with Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler.
Dobes was great down the stretch last season and into the playoffs.
Fowler has been the more effective goalie so far this season.
It’s still early, and so the Habs don’t have to fully commit yet. But at some point, they’re going to have to choose their leader in goal.
One NHL insider, Michael Amato of Sportsnet, seems to think that Dobes is still safe to keep his main gig.
Jakub Dobes vs. Jacob Fowler
Amato writes that it’s an overreaction to think that Fowler will take the job from Dobes.
“I can’t really see a situation where Fowler takes the job and runs with it all season,” Amato writes. “He still only has 21 NHL appearances under his belt and the likelihood of his play not dipping over a long 84-game schedule is slim. The reality is Montreal will likely operate out of a tandem system for the majority of the year and at some point, I’d expect Dobes’ play to bounce back, giving the Canadiens two decent options to turn to. This start from Fowler is just a nice bonus for Montreal and a signal he could be ready for more playing time. It’s likely Fowler ends up with more starts this year than maybe many were forecasting, but expect Dobes to continue to be a big part of the Canadiens plans in net.”
The flip side argument is that Dobes wasn’t experienced last season before taking over the main role in net. So don’t rule out Fowler.
“Jacob Fowler has really stepped up when called upon,” Amato writes. “Fowler has won three of his four starts, with all of his wins coming in games that went beyond 60 minutes. That includes one where he recorded a 30-save shutout. Right now, Fowler is clearly the hotter of the two netminders and his numbers have remained at a high level throughout stops at Boston College and Laval of the AHL.”
The Case for Jakub Dobes
The truth is that the Canadiens have to keep giving Dobes a chance. He was so good at the end of last season, and the Habs can’t turn away from that yet.
“One of the great stories last season for the Montreal Canadiens was the emergence of Jakub Dobes,” Amato writes. “The 25-year-old had a stellar 29-10-4 record and ranked in the top 10 when it came to goals saved above expected. He was really good in the playoffs as well, powering the Canadiens to a Conference Final run with a .908 save percentage. This year it’s been a completely different story, though. Dobes has struggled thus far, posting an .842 save percentage and just one win. He also sits 63rd out of 65 qualified goalies in goals saved above expected.”
There would come a potential breaking point, to be sure. If Dobes keeps saving 84% of shots for another few weeks, that’s a larger sample size and is worth worrying more about.
But it’s early, and Dobes earned himself some trust at the end of last season. This is the time when the Canadiens have to show they trust him still, at least for now.
Canadiens’ Jakub Dobes, Jacob Fowler Decision Made Clear by Sportsnet