Samuel Montembeault, traded for a third-round pick?

Marc-Olivier Cook
Samuel Montembeault, traded for a third-round pick?
Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Will we see Samuel Montembeault back in net for Montreal before the end of the season?

Hmm…

I tend to think not, because the Canadiens seem to have moved on. But you never know. Maybe a goalie will get injured before the end of the regular season, and that could open the door for the Quebec native…

Clearly, we know the goalie situation has become a problem for the Montreal organization.

Everyone believed in him… and he really screwed up. Monty had several very mediocre performances in '25-'26, and that's why he's no longer playing, even though he's healthy.

So what's the plan moving forward?

There's a scenario where Monty gets traded this summer. But what's his value?

Samuel Doiron from the Habsolument Fan website compared Monty to Alex Nedelkovic, and when you look at both guys' stats, you realize just how similar their respective careers are.

Their numbers are very similar, at least. Monty has played in more games, but he has a lower save percentage, and Nedelkovic also has a better goals-against average since the start of his career:

(Credit: Screenshot / HockeyDB)
(Credit: Screenshot / HockeyDB)

What you need to know is that Nedelkovic found himself in a similar position to Montembeault last year.

He had lost confidence… so much so that he had to spend a game in the AHL during the 2024–25 season to get back on track. And a few months later, when the free-agent market opened (July 1), Nedelkovic was traded to San Jose in exchange for a third-round pick…

When you compare the two goalies' stats with their age and salary ($3.15 million per season for Monty and $2.5 million per season for Nedelkovic), you can infer that the Canadiens could land a third-round pick for Montembeault.

Again, this could change since the market will be different this summer, and we've seen in recent weeks that prices in the NHL are no longer the same.

But still: it gives us a good idea of the situation.


In a nutshell

– Interesting.

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