Samuel Montembeault can be to the Habs what Corey Crawford was to the Blackhawks

With the acquisition of Jake Allen, Samuel Montembeault can rest easy.

He now holds the role of Montreal’s number-one goaltender, and next season he’ll have to prove that he has the talent to fill that role for the long term.

He knows what he has to do.

The goalkeeper has been progressing since his arrival in Montreal, and his blossoming has come a little late.

In this respect, it’s easy to compare Monty ‘s progress to that of a goalkeeper like Corey Crawford, because Crawford also took time to become the excellent goalkeeper he was in Chicago.

Maxime Van Houtte made a “mini” comparison between the two goalies’ situations, and there’s an interesting point in his YouTube video: if you take a step back, you realize that Montembeault can be to the Habs what Corey Crawford was to the Hawks.

Crawford was never really a top-5 NHL goalie, but he was always very effective.

The big difference is that Corey Crawford has always had a good team in front of him.

The Hawks, led by Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, were one of the NHL’s powerhouses in the 2010s, and that helped the goalie’s cause a little.

In fact, it’s a little easier when you have one of the best two-way centers in the league, one of the best defensemen in the league and one of the most talented players in the league.

Monty, on the other hand, has never really had that chance… But with the Montreal Canadiens’ bank of prospects, the future looks (very) bright, and that should help him to be even better in the years to come.

At least, if Montembeault can be to the Habs what Corey Crawford was to the Hawks, the Montreal organization will be in the driver’s seat.

Because even if he’s never been the best at his position, Crawford has still led his team to the Stanley Cup twice (2013 and 2015)… And he’s played an important role in his club’s success for almost ten years.

No mean feat, we agree.

In Overtime

– Montreal CF has completed a transaction.

CONFIRMATION

Montreal trades Ruan to Dallas for $50,000 in general allocation money for the 2024 season and up to a conditional $100,000 in general allocation money for the 2025 season.#CFMTL https://t.co/U4xdEF3rz0

– Nilton Jorge (@NiltonJorge) August 12, 2024

– Nikita Scherbak…

Louis Leblanc was hyped up beyond belief. Un gars de chez nous. A 1st round pick.

They called him the next Mike Richards.

Habs fans gave him a standing ovation & chanted “Louis, Louis” at the Bell Centre when he was drafted in 2009.

He scored 10 points in 50 NHL games. https://t.co/QhNiyQK2zG

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) August 12, 2024