The Canadiens recall Jacob Fowler, Adam Engström, and Owen Beck

Tonight, the Habs were humiliated in front of their home fans against the Lightning. The club lost 6-1 and was terrible from start to finish.

No, it's not ideal.

And with the club now heading out on the road, reminders were expected. The club was sure to recall at least one forward and one defender for extras.

And so it was that Owen Beck and Adam Engström were recalled. But they're not the only ones: Jacob Fowler has also been recalled.

Now that's big news.

The Canadiens have recalled Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, and Jacob Fowler from the Laval Rocket.

The Canadiens have recalled Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, and Jacob Fowler from the Laval Rocket.

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) December 10, 2025

Obviously, Fowler is the biggest surprise. The young goalie, who made the jump to the pros just a few months ago, was quickly recalled.

And we agree that he probably wasn't called up to warm the bench: in such a case, Kaapo Kahkonen would have been the lucky one.

So we can really believe in a world in which Fowler will make his NHL debut this week. And of course, this raises other questions: in such a scenario, would Samuel Montembeault or Jakub Dobes be the other goaltender in uniform?

We know that Montembeault played tonight, but he's been ill for the past few days: will he make the trip?

With the club's recent setbacks, one wonders if Fowler's recall is a panic decision. In an ideal world, the Habs would probably have preferred to leave Fowler alone in Laval, but here he is, recalled.

Is it a good idea to play him behind such a porous defense? Good question.

But clearly, tonight's defeat didn't go down well, and the Habs are trying to provide an electroshock. Let's see what happens.

Extension

Beck and Engström are interesting choices. We're talking about kids who, like Fowler, probably weren't called up to leave them on the bench.

If that had been the case, Samuel Blais and Marc Del Gaizo would have been more logical choices.

So it's logical to wonder how different the lineup will be in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. But the big question is whether Fowler will be the starter.