On Monday night, Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault is set to start in his tenth straight game. This is a situation rarely seen in the NHL especially where as Montembeualt played both halves of a back-to-back against Detroit this past weekend. The Canadiens backup goaltender Cayden Primeau appears to have lost favor in Montreal after a terrible start to his season. The Canadiens traded goalie Jake Allen at the deadline last season. This was a move that put the team’s confidence in Montembeualt and Primeau moving forward. However, the early returns of this decision aren’t promising and begs the question of whether or not the team made a mistake trading Jake Allen over Cayden Primeau. Let’s analyze the current situation with the Montreal Canadiens goalies.
Montreal Canadiens Situation With the Goalies
Lack of Confidence in Primeau
Cayden Primeau has seemingly lost the confidence of his head coach Martin St. Louis. St. Louis appeared visibly frustrated when asked a question regarding his confidence in Primeau over the weekend. However, when Primeau hasn’t started in ten games it’s a fair question to ask. This is only his second full year in the NHL, but he already has 55 games of experience under his belt over his career. He also has plenty of experience in the AHL with the Laval Rocket. During his time in the NHL he hasn’t been able to show that he can be a consistent and reliable goaltender at the highest level.
Primeau has a .836 save percentage and a 4.69 goals-against average over eleven games played (only seven starts) this season. He has managed only two wins in that span. While the team may have lost confidence in him, it appears Primeau has also lost confidence in himself. He hasn’t shown any poise in the net this year and has let in many questionable goals that any NHL goalie should save nine times out of ten.
Montembeault Being Overworked
Sam Montembeault has already started in 26 of the Canadiens 33 game this season. He boasts a .903 save percentage and a 2.85 goals-against average to go along with a trio of shutouts. Montembeault has steadied his play as of late after a shaky start to the season. It was expected that he would carry the bulk of the team’s starts and solidify himself as the starting goalie in Montreal. However, there is a growing concern that he is seeing too heavy of a workload.
Montembeault has played the fifth-most minutes of any goalie in the NHL. He also has faced the fourth-most shots in the league. This type of workload can be taxing for a goalie, especially one like Montembeault who has not been accustomed to it throughout his professional career. With Montembeault on pace for over 60 starts this season, the Canadiens need to consider how this workload will affect him as the season drags on.
Potential Solutions for the Canadiens Goalies
The Montreal Canadiens goalies can’t continue to go with the current split that they’ve been using. The workload isn’t sustainable for Montembeualt and will affect his level of play as the year drags on. This means that they need to address the situation as soon as possible and find a solution in net. One potential solution is to recall goaltender Jakub Dobes and waive Primeau. Dobes, 23, has performed well in Laval over the past two seasons and may warrant a shot at the NHL level. Primeau likely wouldn’t be claimed due to his play this season. He has always performed in the AHL, so the organization doesn’t run the risk of hindering Laval with this move.
If they feel that Dobes should continue in Laval, then a trade may be in order. The Canadiens can look to the trade market once the NHL roster freeze is lifted on December 28th. This is seeming like the most likely option as the team needs a reliable backup to alleviate the pressure off Montembeault. It will be interesting to see what the Montreal Canadiens decide to do after the holidays have concluded.
Main Photo: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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