The Montembeault deal checks a lot of boxes for the Habs

December 1, 2023

On Friday, December 1st, the Montreal Canadiens signed goaltender Samuel Montembeault to a three-year contract extension worth $9.45M. The deal, which begins next season and will take Monty to the end of the 2026-27 season, has an annual average value of $3.15M. The deal does not include trade protection.

The contract term and value are consistent with Montembeault’s performance.

When GM Marc Bergevin claimed Montembeault off waivers prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, expectations were low. He was the emergency fallback while Carey Price’s knee issues were addressed. He ended up playing 38 games in an uber-dysfunctional season that saw Carey’s career wind down, Bergevin and his staff fired, and a new leadership and coaching staff take over the reigns.

In the summer of 2022, Kent Hughes signed Montembeault to a two-year deal worth $2M to back-up Jake Allen. By the end of the first season, Monty looked to have stolen the starter’s net, having played 40 games with a .901 save percentage. In the summer of 2023 he won a Gold Medal for Canada at the IIHF World Championships.

In 10 games so far this season, Montembeault has been the Habs’ most consistent goalie with a .910 save percentage. Playing on a lottery team, Montembeault boasts strong statistics in the “goals saved above expected” category. Taking your place in front of the net of a rebuilding Habs team, the kid from Becancour, Quebec has handled the Montreal pressure cooker like a pro.

The deal is fair – Monty gets a solid contract that recognizes his performance, while the Habs avoid tying their own hands.

Re-signing Monty allows Kent Hughes the flexibility to deal with his three-headed monster.

A three-goalie rotation is less than ideal, and all three netminders have managed an uncomfortable situation well. With Monty under contract and capable of taking the starter’s net, Hughes is free to deal one of Jake Allen or Cayden Primeau to the highest bidder.

With the Edmonton Oilers reportedly scouting all three of Montreal’s stoppers, this contract may signal that Monty is no longer on the table, if he ever was. Whether it’s Edmonton or another team, Hughes is free to move quickly now to address the clog in net.

Monty is an appropriate bridge to the era of contention for the Habs.

At the 2023 NHL Draft the Habs selected three goalies. Presumably, they are hoping one of them is the guy who will be their number one when the window of contention is widest open. Jacob Fowler was their first choice and he is having an excellent season at Boston College. It may be ambitious to consider that he might be NHL ready in the fall of 2027, but certainly by then the Habs will have a better sense of what he and the other draftees are capable of.

Montembeault is a low-cost goalie who can perform behind a struggling team while the rebuild continues. If he proves to be capable, he can be re-signed for the height of the contention window, or he can transition to the next guy. Neither the AAV or the term get in the way of Hughes doing whatever he feels is best for the goalie position.

The deal does not eliminate the option of trading Montembeault if the right offer is forthcoming.

Some of us have been getting attached to the fantasy return that Montembeault might have fetched on the trade market. If that crazy offer materializes, this contract is not prohibitive and there is no trade protection. One could argue that this reasonable contract may actually increase Monty’s value to an interested team. Whether before the Christmas break, or before his contract expires in 2027, this contract is tradeable.

At the end of the day, Hughes and the Habs have re-signed a Quebec-born goalie who is entering his prime and has demonstrated he can handle the pressure to a contract that is manageable for today and moveable if a better plan materializes.

This deal checks a lot of boxes for the Habs.