The Montreal Canadiens are projected to offload a former key player in the coming weeks. General manager Kent Hughes has received plenty of praise from around the league for navigating an important offseason. While the exec did not make many trades, he was able to get key young players to sign team-friendly extensions. This includes Ivan Demidov, Jakub Dobes, and Zach Bolduc.
Montreal also landed unexpected free agent Chris Kreider on a very attractive contract for the club. While Hughes and Co. may like their roster right now, they could soon offload a former key player. NHL insider Frank Seravalli recently appeared on The Jason Gregor Show to discuss all things hockey. Among the interesting topics covered was just how quickly things change in the NHL.
“Ask Sam Montembeault. He’s my best example,” claimed Seravalli. “A couple of years ago, 4 Nations Face-Off, he was the third goalie on Team Canada. Today he’s on the outside looking in as the third goalie on the Montreal Canadiens. And my money is on him to be the first player traded this season.”
The Montreal Canadiens previously rewarded Montembeault with a three-year, $9.45 million ($3.15 million AAV) contract in 2023. At the time, the decision looked like yet another solid piece of business by Hughes. After all, the goalie posted a 2.82 GAA and .901 save rate during the 2024-25 campaign. His play even earned him Vezina Award votes. Nevertheless, the star has since found himself on the outside looking in.
Montreal Canadiens Choose Rookies Over Sam Montembeault
Dobes is now the undisputed starting goalie for the Montreal Canadiens. As Seravalli pointed out, Montembeault is not even his team’s second-best netminder at the moment. Due to the veteran’s collapse between the pipes, rookie Jacob Fowler entered the fray during the 2025-26 campaign.
Not only did the 21-year-old prospect impress in Montreal, but he actually posted the best stats among the trio. In 17 regular-season games with the Canadiens, Fowler recorded a 2.43 GAA and .908 save rate. Head coach Martin St. Louis even gave the youngster a relief appearance in the recent playoffs over Montembeault. Montreal clearly does not exactly trust the veteran when it truly counts.
While Montembeault was linked with a trade throughout the summer, the Montreal Canadiens have not yet found a partner. Hughes then admitted that the club will not carry all three goalies during the upcoming campaign. At the moment, this likely means that Fowler will begin the season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket. After all, the youngster needs to play regularly and can pass through waivers.
Montreal Urged to Place Netminder on Waivers
Ideally, the Montreal Canadiens would seemingly love to trade Montembeault. Going with two young goalies could be risky, but both Dobes and Fowler are highly rated prospects. While Hughes is likely listening to offers, he is sticking to his guns in negotiations. He surely wants to maximize his trade return in a deal.
Pierre McGuire, however, recently came up with an interesting solution to the situation if a trade does not occur. According to the analyst, the Montreal Canadiens could put Montembeault on waivers and hope another team takes a chance on him. If so, they would not receive anything back, but they would clear the star’s $3.15 million cap hit. Hughes could then use this money to help land another player in a separate trade.
Canadiens Expected to Trade $9.4 Million Star to Ease Logjam