Jacob Fowler: Two Clues About What Awaits Him in 2026–27

Félix Forget
Jacob Fowler: Two Clues About What Awaits Him in 2026–27
Credit: Justin Berl/Getty Images

In the last few minutes, Kent Hughes and Ivan Demidov spoke to the media.

They provided an update on the Russian player's new contract… and the GM also discussed the state of his team.

For those who missed it, here's the press conference:

And toward the end of the press conference, Hughes was asked a question about the goaltending situation. He talked a bit about Jacob Fowler… and really emphasized that his young goaltender needs to play games to develop.

Obviously, that makes sense… but it's still interesting to note, especially when you consider two factors.

First, there's the fact that Samuel Montembeault's future in Montreal is highly uncertain. He may still be in town, but it's clear that the Habs are more than open to trading him.

And it's worth noting that Kent Hughes, during his press conference, pointed out that many goalies have changed teams today. Whether it's Sergei Bobrovsky in Toronto, Devon Levi in Edmonton, Joonas Korpisalo with the Rangers, or Stuart Skinner in Vancouver, the goalie market is in a frenzy… and Montembeault could be the next to move.

But perhaps an even more interesting clue is that the Laval Rocket announced the signing of three goalies just minutes ago. Francesco Lapenna is headed to the Lions, but Hunter Jones and Kevin Mandolese are likely to be in the mix in Laval.

And that's not even counting Kaapo Kahkonen, who's back with the organization and is likely seen as a player who should be in Laval.

So, looking at this, it doesn't seem there's room for Fowler as a starter in Laval. We're likely to see him in Montreal… and since Kent Hughes wants to see him play, one might wonder if he could share goaltending duties with Jakub Dobes a bit more than we might expect.

Dobes may have established himself as the No. 1 goaltender last year, but Fowler remains an important part of the equation in Montreal. And increasingly, it seems plausible that Fowler will get quite a few starts… in Montreal.

And logically, all these clues also point to a trade involving Samuel Montembeault. But that's not a huge surprise.


Update

– The fact that Kent Hughes spoke so early this afternoon suggests that there are no imminent signings or trades on the horizon for the Habs. If Montembeault leaves, it likely won't be in the next few minutes, let's say.

– Ivan Demidov: The negotiations were fairly straightforward.

– Hehe.

– The GM reiterated that he has no intention of trading away the team's future for a player who's already in his mid-thirties. If he trades away his top assets, it will be to bring in players who can help the Habs for several years.

– I like that!

– What do you think?

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