The outdoor season that leads to the 2025-26 season continues, and with large events such as the NHL Entry Draft and Free Agent Frenzy completed, the dog days of summer clothing on while NHL management groups take a little breathing break before training camps start. In this series I will try to investigate every schedule of Montreal Canadiens, summarize their last season and look ahead to this coming season. I will look at their place in the organization, their role and their possible impact.
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This is the first in the series, in which I will start with the current starter of the Canadiens, Samuel Montembeault.
2024-25 season Summary
Montembeault arrived in Montreal after he was Collected from a distance In October 2021 as a stopgap measure to fill in as a back -up behind Jake Allen, who was pushed into the role of the starter after the injuries of Carey Price in the NHL -Play -offs of 2021. Eventually he took over the role of the starter from Allen and forgiven in 2024 -25, starting the number one -competition, starting in the number -matches. earned with a 2.82 goals-to-average (GAA) and a .902 savings percentage (SV%).
His SV% may not resemble that of a real NHL starter, but he improved as the season progressed. Every match for Montreal after the 4 Nations face-off became a de facto play-off game when the club scratched and made its way in the last play-off berth in which Montembeault was an important reason why they made it.
His underlying statistics prove that. For those who are not known, goals that are saved above offer a way to measure the performance of a goalkeeper compared to what the average goalkeeper would expect to save, given the quality of the shots with which they are confronted. Montembeault was one of the best in the NHL when he finished fourth under NHL starters with 40 or more NHL starts with a 24.6 in goals that have been saved above. Only Logan Thompson, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Conor Hellebuyck ended for him last season. Also the starter of the Canadiens in the past three seasons is in fifth place of all NHL goalkeepers In goals that are saved above, it shows a consistent ability to keep Montreal in narrow games, something that they might otherwise not have been able to do without his versions.
2025-26 season expectations
Montembeault is the second year of one three -year contract That will pay him on average $ 3.1 million per season. The 6-foot-2, 218 pound, 28-year-old resident of BecanCour, Quebec, had a Breakout season in 2024-25, but this coming season has the possibility to surpass that implementation.
First of all, he has a solid back -up goalkeeper in Jakub Dobes, who can take on more games, allowing Montembeault to play between 55 and 60 games. This is important to notice No NHL team will have to play more back-to-back games Then the Canadiens. With the Olympic break and the incredibly busy schedule, it will have a quality back -up goalkeeper the key to help Montembeault rest and ready for its starts. With the recent success of the Canadiens they will no longer be underestimated by their opponents, and the quality starts in the net will play a key role in every play -off that the team has.
In one Recently one-on-one interview with RG.orgCanadiens Executive Vice President Jeff Gorton was asked how the lower workload would be good for Montembeault, who was crucial for the push of the team in the Stanley Cup -Play -Offs of 2025, which expressed confidence in the team of the team.
“I mean, Sam was very good and solid and consistent, and when you have to make that decision and you need to win, and in fact after four countries every competition was a play -off game for us.”
Jeff Gorton
With Load Management available for coaching staff in the season, Montembeault will have the tools to offer more quality started, which in turn should give him better statistical results. But the most important statistics for him will be victories. His 31 wins last season were a career high, but a 35-win season is feasible. Last season he was one of the three goalkeepers of Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but did not play. This season he is in the race for the Canadian Olympic team, and a strong version would put him on the selection, possibly even convincing the Canadian coaching roof to let him start a game or two in the tournament.
More will be expected that Montembeault 2025-26 will start. With a stronger, more experienced team for him, but also because he gains experience and self -confidence and the Prime Age, years as a goalkeeper, he has the tools and the momentum to meet and possibly exceed these expectations.
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