Three excellent comparisons for Samuel Montembeault’s next contract

Everyone seems to be waiting for Cole Caufield’s next contract, but in the meantime, we’re forgetting that a new deal for Samuel Montembeault could very well end up on Kent Hughes’ desk this summer. – Marc Antoine Godin

In reality, it’s true that right now, there isn’t much talk about it. Next season, Montembeault will play the final year of a two-year contract he signed last summer, until July 2022.

It’s worth remembering that the deal pays him a million dollars a year, which is a windfall for the Habs right now. After all, Monty played no less than 40 games in 2022-2023.

So you can see that this is a big year ahead for the Quebecer. He’s telling everyone that he deserves the chance to prove himself as a number-one NHL goaltender, and his salary is going to be the beneficiary.

Because we agree on one obvious point: Montembeault’s next contract will be much more lucrative. Right now, his value is only increasing thanks to his recent performances with the CH and at the World Championship, and that’s why the Habs could decide to offer him a contract extension as early as this year…

Precisely because his value is skyrocketing. If the CH waits and the Quebecer delivers another excellent performance for the CH and Kent Hughes this year, he’ll cost more. It’s not rocket science.

I mentioned Marc Antoine Godin at the start of this article, and that’s where he comes in. The journalist from The Athletic has written a paper in which he compares Montembeault to three other NHL goalies who have similar stats, and it’s interesting.

Basically, we’re talking about Joonas Korpisalo, Philipp Grubauer and Vitek Vanecek.

I’ll post the link to his article before continuing.

When you look at the numbers, you realize that these are three excellent comparisons for Montembeault’s next contract.

Yes, Montembeault has slightly worse stats than Korpisalo, Grubauer and Vanecek… But, there’s not a huge gap between the numbers of the four goalies :

You know that in the NHL, numbers and comparables are important when it comes to players signing new contracts. That’s normal: guys want to be paid what they’re worth, and they don’t want to leave money on the table.

If the CH isn’t going to offer Montembeault a long-term contract (four years or more) because he hasn’t necessarily proven that he deserves one, we can expect the Habs to offer him a two- or three-year “bridge” contract, just like the goalies in the image above.

That’s why the comparisons are interesting beyond the statistics. The difference, however, is that Montembeault had to go through the ballot twice before getting to where he is today.

All in all, it’s an intriguing discussion, and one that’s sure to come up again in the coming months.

But once Caufield’s contract is signed… perhaps Kent Hughes will want to make sure that Monty, who could become Montreal’s goaltender of the future, is dealt with.

Breaking news

– The Coyotes file continues to be the talk of Quebec City, without much surprise.

“I told Gary Bettman personally, so he’s very aware” 🏒 https://t.co/xA4fX4N8Gn

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) May 18, 2023

– That’s something to keep an eye on. That’s a good point.

– If only.

– And he’s good, the young man.

– Let’s just say it’s not every day you see that in the PGA.

À VOIR | Pigman had a close call!🥵🥵https://t.co/olQgFb825T

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) May 18, 2023