The Montreal Canadiens have solid depth behind the crease.
Between Jakub Dobes, Samuel Montembeault and Jacob Fowler, goaltending shouldn’t be a primary concern heading into their 2026-27 campaign.
Kaapo Kähkönen has been noticing Fowler’s performance, in particular, and spoke to the media about what he’s seeing.
Montreal Canadiens’ Kähkönen Shares His Thoughts on Fowler
According to Arpon Basu of The Athletic, Kähkönen stated, “Obviously a talented young goalie who also works hard and wants to learn, but also learning and applying the things you learn quickly, it’s part of being talented.”
He added, “A lot of people can see stuff and understand it maybe, but to execute it is a different thing at high speed and high tempo. I think that’s what makes him really good.”
Fowler is just 21 years old, but he’s been leaving his mark on the franchise.
By the end of his 2025-26 campaign, he had registered a 2.43 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage through 17 games.
As for Kähkönen, he has been playing down in the AHL with the Laval Rocket.
During his 2025-26 campaign, he went 21-9-7 and logged a 2.73 goals-against average with an .895 save percentage in 38 games.
Kähkönen further stated, “You’ve either got to be really quick, fast and a good skater, or very, very good positionally, and I think he’s both. It’s one thing to get there on a lateral play, but (it’s another) to get there in control, square, your hands in front of your body and covering as much net as possible.”
Now, with Montreal carrying three goalies on its roster, the position battle is bound to be tense — it isn’t typical for a franchise to carry this many goaltenders at once.
Ultimately, Fowler is the young gun of the squad, which means he’s likely to be the one to start in Laval.
This isn’t a reflection of his performance; he’s been incredibly promising.
Instead, it would merely come down to age and experience on the ice.
Where Do the Canadiens Stand Heading Into Their 2026–27 Season?
With preseason play in full swing, the itch for the regular season’s puck drop is only growing more intense.
On Saturday, Sept. 19, Montreal clinched tight 4-3 and 4-1 victories over the Toronto Maple Leafs during the split-squad clashes.
In a few short hours, the Canadiens will face the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m. ET.
Montreal didn’t hesitate to sign major names in recent weeks, quickly bolstering its roster ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Overall, the Canadiens are stacking up to be an imposing team to face this year, but as the story goes, anything can happen on the ice.
Montreal Canadiens’ Kaapo Kähkönen Gets Honest About Jacob Fowler