The Montreal Canadiens have a new injury concern to worry about. While the 2026-27 season has only just begun, Montreal is already without three key contributors. Kaiden Guhle and Oliver Kapanen have both been unable to suit up due to separate setbacks. Star winger Ivan Demidov also recently went down with a lower-body injury. The Russian is expected to miss two to four weeks in total.
RDS reporter Patrick Friolet has now revealed that goalie Sam Montembeault exited Canadiens practice early on October 7. “Samuel Montembeault has just left the practice session in Brossard,” Friolet posted on social media. “Visibly bothered by his right leg. He got injured while making a save and left quickly.” RDS later replied to the post with a video of the incident.
The clip shows the goalie attempting to make quick-fire saves from his Montreal Canadiens teammates. The veteran netminder, however, falls to the ice without being touched in the crease. Forwards Nick Suzuki and Alex Newhook worryingly then approached the goalie in an attempt to check on him. Montembeault eventually got up and gingerly skated off the ice while favoring his right leg.
It remains to be seen how significant the injury is. The 29-year-old netminder has not yet appeared between the pipes for the Montreal Canadiens this season. Instead, head coach Martin St. Louis has opted to go with undisputed starter Jakub Dobes for all three of the team’s games. Nevertheless, Montembeault could have been in line to play against the Nashville Predators on October 8 in Montreal.
Montreal Canadiens Attempted to Trade Sam Montembeault This Summer
Montembeault was previously viewed as the top netminder for the Montreal Canadiens. After all, he posted a respectable 3.14 GAA and .903 save rate during the 2023-24 campaign. The veteran then followed this up with a stellar 2.82 GAA and .902 save rate in 62 games during the 2024-25 season. His exceptional play earned him an eighth-place finish in the Vezina Trophy standings that year.
Despite this, Montembeault struggled mightily this past season. His 3.43 GAA and .872 save rate essentially forced St. Louis and the Canadiens to heavily rely on Dobes down the stretch. The rookie supplanted the veteran as the top netminder in Montreal with a 2.78 GAA and .901 save rate on the year. Dobes’ arrival has not only pushed Montembeault down the pecking order, but has opened up a potential trade.
The Montreal Canadiens were linked with offloading Montembeault practically all summer. Despite this, there were no takers on the veteran netminder in the offseason. His stats from the previous campaign likely hindered deals. On top of this, he is earning a fairly significant $3.15 million for the 2026-27 season.
Montreal Will Turn to Top Prospect if Injury is Significant
Assuming Montembeault hits the injured list, the Montreal Canadiens will recall Jacob Fowler. Although it was a relatively small sample size, the highly rated prospect was arguably the team’s top netminder last year. After all, he posted a 2.43 GAA and .908 in 17 regular-season appearances.
So far this season, Fowler has impressed with the Laval Rocket. The youngster has only allowed three goals on 55 total shots across two games with the AHL team. Many Canadiens fans were hoping to get another glimpse of the rookie goalie as soon as possible, but not under these circumstances.
Canadiens Veteran Exits Practice Early With Injury Concern