After Sunday night’s defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis was asked about why there was a change of plan with goaltender Samuel Montembeault.
The netminder was initially meant to be recalled from the Laval Rocket and join the team in Pittsburgh on Sunday, but that didn’t happen. According to the coach, the change of plans had nothing to do with Montembeault’s performance in his two games with the Rocket, but everything to do with what was best for the athlete.
Advertisement
Canadiens: The Kids’ Line Is A Big Win
Canadiens: Kent Hughes Is Betting On The French Factor
Canadiens: Crosby Makes History And The Penguins Finally Win One
The Canadiens weren’t practicing in Pittsburgh on Sunday, and they weren’t going to practice in Boston on Monday, since they had just played in a back-to-back, meaning that the goalie wouldn’t have had any opportunities to work on his game. That being said, the Becancour native still hasn’t been officially called back up, according to the AHL’s transactions website.
Still, he was at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Monday morning, working with Rocket goalie coach Mario Marciano. There’s no denying that this course of action allows the player to log in a lot more ice time and work on his game, which is more likely to help than a day off in Boston.
St-Louis has already confirmed that Jacob Folwer will be handling the net on Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins, which will no doubt be a big moment for the young netminder who played his NCAA hockey with Boston College. Will that be his last game with the Habs this season? Will he be sent back down to the Rocket before the Canadiens continue their road trip on Saturday, December 28, against the Tampa Bay Lightning?
Advertisement
It remains to be seen. Some argue that the Canadiens cannot carry three goalies, especially with two of them rookies, and that makes sense. Fowler could still use some development time in Laval, but if he is sent back down and Montembeault hasn’t found his game yet, it would hardly be a good outcome. Personally, I’d stick with the three goalies on the roster, at least until the Quebecer has proven he can perform well in the NHL, again.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens’ page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens’ roundtable on The Hockey News.
Image
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.
