If you told a Montreal Canadiens fan just a couple of years ago that Sam Montembeault might be heavily shopped on the offseason trade market, they probably wouldn’t have believed you. He was the stabilizing force during a turbulent rebuild, a hometown kid making good in hockey’s most demanding market. But the NHL is a brutal, “what have you done for me lately” business, and the landscape in Montreal has shifted dramatically over the last twelve months.
According to Montreal Canadiens insider Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette, Montembeault is generating interest heading into the summer trade market. Armed with just one year left on a highly digestible $3.15 million AAV contract and lacking any no-trade protection, Montembeault has become an incredibly intriguing trade chip. But why is Montreal willing to part with him? The reality is that a devastating double groin tear during last year’s playoffs changed his trajectory, and an unexpectedly crowded crease might just force General Manager Kent Hughes’s hand.
How Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler Changed the Equation for the Montreal Canadiens
To understand the Sam Montembeault trade rumors, you have to look at the pipeline. Montembeault simply hasn’t looked like the same explosive, technically sound goaltender since returning from his groin injuries. As he struggled to regain his form, the Habs’ development pipeline went into overdrive.
Young netminders Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler have rapidly accelerated their timelines, fundamentally altering the goalie depth chart. In my experience covering this league, when a rebuilding team suddenly has blue-chip prospects knocking on the NHL door, the veterans sitting in front of them become expendable. You cannot afford to stifle the development of potential franchise goalies like Fowler by keeping a logjam at the NHL and AHL levels. Moving Montembeault clears the runway.
The Trade Value of Sam Montembeault This Summer
Despite his recent struggles, I completely agree with Cowan’s assessment: the Canadiens will not have a hard time finding a suitor. Look around the NHL right now. Half the league is dealing with a catastrophic goaltending crisis. Teams are desperate for capable bodies.
Montembeault’s contract is the ultimate low-risk, high-reward proposition. At $3.15 million for a single season, a contending team with cap issues or a bubble team looking for a 1B option can easily afford to take a flyer on him. They are betting that a change of scenery, a lighter workload, and further distance from his groin surgery will allow him to rebound to his pre-injury form. For the Montreal Canadiens, taking advantage of a desperate market to acquire draft capital or a mid-tier prospect while clearing a roster spot is brilliant asset management.
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The post Will the Montreal Canadiens Trade Sam Montembeault This Offseason? appeared first on NHL Trade Rumors.
