The Habs need to clear some traffic in their crease

September 9, 2023

The Montreal Canadiens are holding their annual golf tournament on Monday, and fans are watching to see how many goalies show up.

Veteran leader Jake Allen is under contract for two more years and Samuel Montembeault has done nothing but get better since he was claimed off waivers two training camps ago. Cayden Primeau is not NHL-ready, but will have to pass through waivers to play in Laval, and new acquisition Casey DeSmith is a proven tandem goalie on a value contract. Four goalies is too many, and the Habs would love to make a deal.

Jake Allen

During last year’s camp, GM Kent Hughes signed Jake Allen to a two-year contract extension holding an annual average value of $3.85M. At the time, I thought it was too much for too long – it’s the only contract I’ve questioned under the HuGo tenure. But then Jake Allen spoke about the extension.

“I understand where we’re trying to go and I think that I can be an important piece in that. I get that I’m not going to be here forever, but at the same time I’d like to be one of those building blocks that starts this build. When I’m long retired and hopefully this team is very good for tens of years to come, I can say that maybe I was one of those pieces that started the puzzle together. That’s the way I see it.”

It’s unlikely that Allen’s feelings have changed since then, and having a dependable veteran to mentor the kids still holds value for the Habs. Even if either party was interested in moving on, the contract is probably prohibitive.

Sam Montembeault

Last season started with Coach Martin St. Louis clearly naming Allen their starter. By the end of the season, his tune had changed a little. Allen had played 42 games while Monty had played 40, and it was the kid who pulled off the better numbers.

The Quebec-born stopper is about to turn 27, and is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Habs have just one year to figure out what they’ve got in Montembeault. On a team-friendly contract and still under assessment, it’s unlikely that Monty will be the player leaving town.

Casey DeSmith

When Montreal landed DeSmith in the deal that saw Mike Hoffman leave town, the obvious intention was to flip DeSmith as soon as possible. Hughes essentially confirmed as much to the press after he had flipped Jeff Petry, the other player coming back in the deal. But, as they say, it takes two to tango and unfortunately this one has been more of a slow dance.

DeSmith is the better goalie at this stage, and he comes at a team-friendly $1.8M cap hit for one more year. He would arguably be a better option to tandem with Montembeault, but that is also exactly why he likely has more trade value.

Cayden Primeau

When the Canadiens signed Primeau early out of college, he was hoped to be the netminder that would succeed Carey Price. That went off the rails along with Price’s health.

Now Primeau has two years left on his current contract and he’s waiver eligible this season, and not yet ready to make the leap to the NHL. Having split four seasons between the Laval Rocket and the Canadiens, Primeau has shown flashes of brilliance in Laval, while looking mostly shellshocked in Montreal.

He’s not ready, but the Habs would really like to see if he can get ready. Their preference is to not lose him for nothing to waivers, and they’re hoping that the two years remaining on his contract will be enough to dissuade teams.

Options and Considerations

Even before acquiring DeSmith, there was speculation that the Habs may carry three goalies in Montreal for a while and rag the puck on waiving Primeau. This seems like a highly unlikely option if DeSmith is not moved before rosters have to be finalized. Even if a trade materializes, does Hughes really want to use one of his 23 spots on a goalie when there are so many forwards fighting for spots? Starting with three goalies would be a short-term solution, and they may be better off biting the bullet when rosters are due.

With DeSmith in the fold, the best cap management option has to be considered – there is a real question about whether it’s time to move on from Jake Allen. With Hughes committed to getting under the cap before the season begins without placing Carey Price on LTIR, Allen’s contract looks just about perfect to move. This option eliminates Allen’s veteran leadership, and trade partners would be scarce indeed. Might it be worth it to add a sweetener from their embarrassment of prospect riches to free the space?

Every team is concerned with asset management but a rebuilding team has to be obsessed with it. Which trade asset has the highest value and when? Who is more appealing to trade partners of Allen and DeSmith? Might there be higher value for one of them at the trade deadline?

In the midst of all of this goalie chaos, HuGo must remain future focused. Which of the netminders are most likely to be part of the Montreal Canadiens moving forward? Clearly, Allen and DeSmith are not those guys. The jury is still out on the other two, but the Habs would surely like a little more time to assess.

Ideal and Realistic Outcomes

All things considered, the most appealing plan might be to trade Allen, waive Primeau, and play a tandem of Montembeault and DeSmith until the trade deadline. The hope would be to get more for DeSmith at the deadline than was necessary to add to move Allen before the end of camp, and that Primeau is ready to call up to finish the season in Montreal.

That’s a lot of hoping that doesn’t consider veteran leadership and commitments that have been made to players. The more likely scenario is that DeSmith is traded for whatever they can fetch rather than waiving him, Primeau is waived and passes through, and we have another year of Monty and Allen.

Nothing is a foregone conclusion here, and this is a storyline worth following for the next month.