Jakub Dobes: the dilemma of a guy who talks too much but wins

The ménage à trois is the talk of the town. Historically, when Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton ride with three guys, that's what happens: it gets the fans talking.

Does Jacob Fowler belong in Montreal? Is Samuel Montembeault's future with the Canadiens? Will Jakub Dobes be a baboon if he has to go to Laval?

These are the questions that arise.

Barring a major surprise (trade, injury, etc.), it would be logical to believe that one of the two youngsters will go to Laval at some point, in order to put an end to the ménage à trois.

Reminder: Kent Hughes has said that the three-way will not last forever… and the club's next back-to-back will take place after the trade deadline. So, three goalies become less necessary—and harder to manage.

Because Fowler has been the most-used goalie since his recall, and because he seems to have the confidence of his bosses, it's safe to assume that everything points to Dobes down the line. Even if he doesn't want to go.

Let's not forget that, apart from saying he wouldn't understand if he were traded to the Rocket, he also recently said he wasn't talking to the Canadiens' management.

“I spoke to Marty for the first time in my life, but I can't say what came out of that discussion. I don't understand, I don't know.” – Jakub Dobes

Jakub Dobes last night on the 3-goalie tandem: pic.twitter.com/5286MvBKJc

– sarah ⁷⁷ (@luv_sarahx) January 13, 2026

Do you think management liked hearing this and that it may affect the decision to send Fowler or Dobes back to the Laval Rocket?

We're probably thinking the same thing.

But if we're playing devil's advocate, we can also say that Dobes is the only goalie who has won since January 10… even if it was against a weak team. Fowler lost to Detroit and Monty lost in overtime yesterday in Washington.

It's also fair to say that Dobes is the goalie with the best win rate since Fowler was recalled, following the December 9 game against the Lightning.

Of course, I'm not saying that's all there is to it. After all, Dobes has spoken out against management, he's been playing less than others since the holidays, he has the worst individual stats, he's more crooked than others on the ice, and so on.

But he's winning games. And Fowler is the only one to have lost on a regular basis since his recall. Even if it's against more formidable opponents and Fowler plays more often, Dobes' agent must have noticed that.

I still think Dobes will be the one to take the fall, but I wanted to bring up the other side of the coin and play devil's advocate because Dobes not only wins games, he doesn't lose many. In a results league, that's notable.

Since the start of the season, Dobes has 14 wins. Fowler and Montembeault have 12 together.

That's why he wouldn't understand why he'd go to Laval… even if all the other elements point to a possible move down, when some of the injured forwards return.

Yes, it's a complex issue and that's what I was trying to illustrate.

overtime

– Interesting.

– Owen Protz talks about his future with the Canadiens. [RG]

– Makes sense.