Jakub Dobes’ Big Challenge Ahead of the Upcoming Season

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Jakub Dobes’ Big Challenge Ahead of the Upcoming Season
Credit: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

The situation with the Canadiens' goalies continues to be the talk of the town.

Right now, Jakub Dobes is the No. 1 goalie, but it's not yet clear whether Samuel Montembeault or Jacob Fowler will be his backup. That will depend on several factors, including the trade market.

Will Kent Hughes be able to trade his veteran goaltender or not?

But in any case, Jakub Dobes was given more than $16 million (from 2027 to 2030) so he can continue to develop in his role as the No. 1 goaltender.

I say “continue to develop” because no one thinks the 2026 version of Dobes is a finished product. At 25, a goaltender still has room for improvement.

If there's one thing on Marco Marciano's to-do list (by the way, when will we hear about his contract?), it's making sure his goalie is more consistent.

That's the hardest thing for a young player to achieve in the NHL.

I say this because, in his first two NHL seasons, Dobes started strong, finished strong… but struggled quite a bit in the middle of the season.

Remember that when he replaced Cayden Primeau at Christmas 2024, he was on fire for five games. Then, from January 20 to April 5, he managed just one win in nine games. And finally, he held his own in the playoffs against Washington.

In 2025–2026? He started strong, was extraordinary during the race for the playoffs (and in the playoffs themselves)… but he was also the No. 3 goalie for a while. Everyone wanted to send him to Laval, too.

In my view, that's his biggest challenge: being able to perform consistently in 2026–2027. And if he can do that, it will help make up for the fact that Kent Hughes hasn't (yet) made any moves to address the team's needs.


In a nutshell

– His title: assistant coach.

– Note.

– What does that mean?

– Oh.

– Makes sense.

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