“It’s not impossible that Jacob Fowler could be used as a bargaining chip.”

Félix Forget
“It’s not impossible that Jacob Fowler could be used as a bargaining chip.”
Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As of today, Samuel Montembeault is still in Montreal. The goaltender, who has seen Jakub Dobes (and even Jacob Fowler) move ahead of him in the pecking order, was viewed by many as someone who might leave.

That could still happen, mind you… but now more than ever, we have to consider a scenario in which he remains with the organization to start the season.

This means that right now, there are questions in net. Jakub Dobes will likely be the team's No. 1 goalie, but the situation behind him is less clear. Fowler is probably better than Montembeault, but the team might want to give the kid some playing time in Laval.

However, on BPM Sports this afternoon, Jean-Sébastien Giguère floated an idea that, in effect, would solve this problem: using Jacob Fowler as a trade chip.

If Dobes continues to excel, Fowler might be the one who could help the Canadiens land the top-6 forward they're after.

Giguère isn't saying he'd trade Fowler right now or even that he has any information to that effect: what he's saying is that there's a scenario in which, sooner or later, the Habs will be ready to commit to Dobes, which would allow them to use Fowler as trade bait.

In the (very) short term, this seems pretty unlikely since the Habs are focused on winning, and it's doubtful that even a strong training camp performance on his part would fully restore confidence in Samuel Montembeault with the Habs. But perhaps in the slightly longer term (if everything falls into place), this option will be easier to consider.

We know that, since the start of the summer, Fowler has been ranked at the top of a variety of lists of the league's best goaltending prospects. It's reasonable to think that Kent Hughes, if he's willing to trade him, could get a very attractive return for his services.

Again, this won't happen overnight… but there's a world in which, eventually, that scenario will be considered. Because you have to give to get, you know.


In a Nutshell

– Note.

– That's good news!

– Great initiative.

– Too bad.

– Must-read.

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