The goaltending position is always an area of interest for fans of the Montreal Canadiens and since Carey Price's last start in April of 2022, everyone has been waiting to see who will take over the reigns as the team's next start netminder.
Last season, fans got a glimpse of the future in 21-year-old Jacob Fowler, who went on to make 17 appearances in the National Hockey League throughout the year, while Jakub Dobeš and Samuel Montembeault served as the primary tandem for the Canadiens until early March when the latter lost his place in the lineup.
When the free agency window opened up last week, three pending UFA goaltenders signed deals to remain with the Montreal Canadiens organization, while the front office brought in Blainville, Quebec native Kevin Mandolese, who has three games of NHL experience with the Ottawa Senators during the 2022-23 campaign.
What will Montreal's goaltending situation look like next season?
Assuming there's no other moves made on the goaltending front between now and opening night, which is reportedly set for Tuesday, September 29th, the Montreal Canadiens will begin the 2026-27 season the way they did last October - a Jakub Dobeš and Samuel Montembeault tandem.
It's still quite early in the offseason and a lot can change over the next couple of months, but it doesn't look like there are any takers for Samuel Montembeault on the trade market. The Edmonton Oilers were one team that I thought may have interest in the 29-year-old netminder, but they decided to go elsewhere, acquiring Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres and signing 2026 Stanley Cup champion Frederik Andersen, both of which came on July 1st.
Montembeault, a native of Becancour, Quebec, is set to enter the final year of his contract this fall and will become an unrestricted free agent on Canada Day 2027. If he's able to bounce back right out of the gate and perform like he did during the 2024-25 campaign, he could potentially be used as a trade chip leading up to the deadline. On the flip side, if he falters, it wouldn't be a shock to see the Canadiens place Montembeault on waivers early on in the season.
There's plenty of risk that comes with bringing Montembeault back after the season he had in 2025-26 season, but at the end of the day, it won't hurt and he's earned that opportunity to bounce back.
With that being said, if Montembeault is on the opening night roster, that will allow Jacob Fowler to get into game action at the American Hockey League level with Laval, rather than sitting on the bench in Montreal. Having Jacob Fowler getting consistent starts in Laval would go a long way in his development and without a doubt, we'll still see him with the Canadiens at some point this coming season, if there's an injury or if the above scenario involving Montembeault underperforming occurs.
In Laval, Fowler will be joined by a familiar face - Kaapo Kahkonen. Fowler and Kahkonen began the season as Laval's tandem and will most likely do so again this fall. The Helsinki, Finland native is someone that can mentor Fowler and has plenty of NHL experience under his belt - 140 games with the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils and the Colorado Avalanche.
Joining Fowler and Kahkonen in Laval will be Kevin Mandolese, who projects to be the club's third goaltender, at least to start the season. Mandolese comes to Laval after a 2025-26 campaign that saw him make two appearance in the AHL with two different clubs, along with 12 games with HKM Zvolen of the Slovak Extraliga.
I fully expect that at some point next season, Mandolese will assume the role of backup in Laval, with Kahkonen serving as the starter, Fowler moving up to Montreal and Montembeault either traded or waived. Again, it's very early, but that's just what my expectation is for next season.
To recap, here's how I see the goaltending position shaking out in the Canadiens organization to start the 2026-27 campaign:
- NHL starter: Jakub Dobeš.
- NHL backup: Samuel Montembeault.
- AHL starter: Jacob Fowler.
- AHL backup: Kaapo Kahkonen.
- AHL third string: Kevin Mandolese.
- ECHL starter: Hunter Jones.
- ECHL backup: Francesco Lapenna.
We'll have to wait and see what the coming months have in store, but at this point, I'd be surprised if Samuel Montembeault wasn't on the Canadiens' opening night roster in late September.