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Originally, Samuel Montembeault was not expected to stay long with the Habs
Marc-Olivier Cook
Originally, Samuel Montembeault was not expected to stay long with the Habs
Credit: Getty Images

When Samuel Montembeault was called up to the Canadiens’ 2021 waivers in October, there weren’t many expectations for him.

We didn’t necessarily see him as the future starter in Montreal, but he’s proven himself to be where he is right now.

Today, when we talk about him, we’re talking about the Habs’ #1 goaltender.

But all that might never have happened either.

And why is that?

Because Samuel Montembeault wasn’t originally slated to stay with the Habs for long.

Marc Bergevin put him up for waivers in 2021, thinking he was a temporary solution. The plan was for Carey Price to have time to heal the swelling in his knee, and then it would be over for Montembeault in Montreal.

And in an article from The Athletic, we also discover that the Coyotes were really interested in the Québécois’ services.

But that was before Carey Price went to therapy for his alcohol problems, and before Price realized that his knee injury would probably prevent him from playing hockey again.

In the end, Monty took advantage of several bizarre circumstances to settle in Montreal.

He played 38 games in his first season with the Canadiens because he also saw Jake Allen forced to miss games during the campaign due to injury.

It’s crazy, too, because it allowed him to prove to the Canadiens that he has what it takes to be a National League goaltender, which wasn’t the case when he was with the Panthers.

After all, the Québécois spent most of his time in the AHL before being drafted by the Habs in the waivers… and he never went back down afterwards :

(Credit: HockeyDB)
Sometimes in life, things happen by chance.

And this is proof: today, the Canadiens can count on a reliable #1 goaltender who played 62 games this season and helped his team make the playoffs.

That’s no mean feat. It remains to be seen, however, whether Jakub Dobes will challenge him for the #1 spot next season.

Because in reality, that’s the Habs’ plan.


Overtime

– Interesting.

– Sick!

– The Nordiques are gone, but…

– With good reason.

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