Fowler this, Fowler that, Fowler in the playoffs… Whoa, wait a minute!

Marc-Olivier Cook
Fowler this, Fowler that, Fowler in the playoffs… Whoa, wait a minute!
Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Last night in Ottawa, Jacob Fowler was brilliant in goal.

Especially at the end of the game.

The American was solid throughout the game and helped the Canadiens earn two huge points in the Eastern Conference standings. This isn't the first time we've seen him play really well in the National Hockey League, and it's leading some people to say that the Canadiens should start the playoffs with him in goal.

But I want to say that we need to calm down a little.

Yes, it's true that the youngster has been impressive since his arrival in the pros. He's had a good season in Laval and has played well in almost all of his games with the Canadiens. That said, we're talking about a 21-year-old who has… 41 games of professional experience.

We're talking about a guy who has proven himself based on a very short sample size… and that's it.

I'm not saying that Jacob Fowler will never be a good goalie in the National Hockey League.

Nor am I saying that he will never be able to help the Canadiens in the playoffs in the future. He is seen as the future #1 in Montreal, and I am one of those who truly believe in his potential.

But to throw him into the lion's den and have him play in the playoffs this year seems a bit extreme to me. The Canadiens need to protect him because he's one of the crown jewels of the Montreal organization.

I think it would hurt his confidence to see him get beaten in the first round of the spring tournament… and that's why I wouldn't take the chance of playing him right away when he still has games to play to gain experience.

At the same time, it's not as if Jakub Dobes doesn't deserve the chance to be the Canadiens' starting goalie for the playoffs. He's the one who won most of the games this season in Montreal, and he's the one who has only one loss in regulation time since December 9.

I like him, Jacob Fowler… but I think we need to calm down a bit too. Because at the end of the day, there's absolutely no rush with him…


In a nutshell

– Too funny.

— Overall standings:

— That's going to be good!

— Yeah.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!