Four in Canada born goalkeepers have reached the 40-win marking in recent decade: Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens), Braden Holtby (Washington Capitals, three times), Cam Talbot (Edmonton Oilers) and Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota Wild). For a long time that number was everything. It meant that you not only started games – you were owning them. Patrick Roy did it. Roberto Luongo did that too. Carey Price? He made it look easy at its peak.
But that was then. Today’s NHL is different. Teams don’t lean on one keeper like before. Coaches Split starts more carefully, back -ups are more involved and analyzes have reformed how we assess the performance. Win over the Stat. Now they are only part of a larger image-save percentage, goals that have been saved above, and performance based on opportunities are the new benchmarks.
Yet 40 victories have an old-school magic. It is clean, it is daring and it still lets fans talk. At the moment, two Canadian goalkeepers may be able to hit again: Stuart Skinner with the oilers and Sam Montembeault with the Canadiens.
Stuart Skinner seems to be the best gamble in Canada
If someone breaks the drought, it is probably Skinner. In 2023–24 he came close to 36 victories – and would probably have hit 40 if Edmonton had not encountered the season early in the season. As soon as they turned things under head coach Kris Knoblauch, Skinner found his game and gave the oilers what they needed: a stable presence without fresh in the net. With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl who wore the attack, Skinner did not have to be on his head every night- just reliable.
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However, last season did not go as expected. Skinner ended with 26 wins in 51 performances. Part of it was inconsistency. Part of it came from the surprisingly strong game of Calvin Pickard, which earned him more starting. Anyway, the figures fell.
Yet Skinner is in the right place. He is the starter in a team that is built to win now, and he has shown flashes to be the task. If he remains healthy and sharp, finds consistency and Edmonton rolls through the regular season, Skinner could definitely push back into the 40-win conversation.
Sam Montembeault is solid what it matters
Then there is Montembeault. He does not chase 40, and to be honest, he doesn’t have to do that. Last season, He picked up 31 wins In 62 games with a respectable .902 savings percentage. Solid figures – especially given the Canadiens still rebuild. He has confronted a lot of pressure and he treated it with a calmness that Montreal has not seen since the price.
Will he achieve 40 victories soon? Probably not – unless the Habs make a huge leap forward and Montembeault starts 65+ matches. That is not a knock on him. What he does – the stability of the transmission and Montreal the most nights give a chance – is exactly what the team needs. In a city where goalkeepers are always under the microscope, that kind of stability is just as important as a flashy milestone.
Has an NHL goalkeeper recently achieved 40 wins and does it mean something?
Yes – just no Canadian. Last season, born in America Connor Hellebuyck hit 47 victories With the Winnipeg -Jets, both the Vezina and the Hart -Trophy took home. It was an incredible season and his second 40+ Win season (the other came in 2017-1818). However, for the keepers born in Canada, the drought continues. It raises the question: do 40 wins even more?
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Skinner still has a real shot. He is in a team that could win 50+ competitions, and if he finds his shape, 40 victories is on the table. Montembeault will not be in that race – but what he does in Montreal is perhaps just as important: anchoring a young, developing team and giving them the chance to grow.
The question here is – is 40 even more important? It’s a bit like that old David Letterman Sketch: “Is this something?” Goalie Wins may not be the gold standard they were ever, but they still have weight, especially when none of them has hit the Canadian goalkeeper in almost a decade 40. Maybe Skinner will be there next season. Perhaps Montembeault evolves even more to slightly more. Or maybe we are waiting a little longer.
Anyway, we look. And we still ask the same question: is this something?
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