Samuel Montembeault: the Habs don’t want to sign him to “trade him better

Samuel Montembeault’s contract and the ménage à trois are linked. The Habs surely don’t want to part with a goaltender without the assurance that Monty is here to stay.

Otherwise, the CH would be in trouble next summer.

That’s one of the reasons why a deal is stalled right now. The lack of depth behind Montembeault, Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau is also a factor, of course.

Jakub Dobes may be progressing, but the CH doesn’t want to be one injury away from having to recall him.

And obviously, if Kent Hughes isn’t worth his price, he’s not going to trade a goalie just for the fun of it. We know how much he wants to maximize the market value of his players…

That puts pressure on the goalies… and on their coach Éric Raymond, who has to work with a staff 50% larger than usual.

Of course, it would be easy for the Habs to say that Samuel Montembeault has value and can fetch big money on the trade market as a rental player.

It would also be easy to say that, with a good contract in his pocket, he would become attractive to another club. But clearly, Montembeault is part of the club’s plans right now.

A team that wants to go after him had better get up early.

All this to say that, as David Pagnotta points out, if the CH wants to extend Samuel Montembeault’s contract, it’s not to “trade him in” later: it’s to keep him.

Note that Pagnotta mentions the fact that discussions, while not over, are going well between the Canadiens and the goaltender from La Mauricie.

He also adds that it’s Jake Allen who, at the right price, is – unsurprisingly – likely to leave. That said, you know as well as I do that his performances make him not the easiest man to trade.

Not to mention his contract of $3.85 million per year until 2025.

I can’t wait to see how this issue plays out, but it’s clear that seeing Allen win a few games soon wouldn’t hurt the Habs and their management.

In bursts

– Yes, it takes more.

– When will he score more?

– To be continued.

– Josh Anderson: his lethargy is the talk of the town. [BPM Sports]

– People are capable of being kind.

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