Fowler Ahead of Price: Renaud Lavoie Makes a Bold Statement

Marc-André “Mapper” Perreault now has his own daily show—Monday through Thursday—on 99.5 FM in Montreal and BLVD 102.1 in Quebec City. He's on the air from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. alongside Alex Laramée, a young talent from the Montreal area.

I have the privilege of appearing on Mapper's show on Thursday evenings around 7:00 p.m. If you're looking for a laid-back show that's unlike anything else on the air right now, Mapper will be right up your alley.

Yesterday, while I was waiting in the newsroom before my segment, Renaud Lavoie made a bold statement: At the same age and with the same number of games played, Jacob Fowler is ahead of Carey Price—and by a significant margin.

Basically, Renaud pointed out that, in terms of maturity, Fowler is currently ahead of Price, who had already experienced life in Montreal before becoming the once-in-a-generation goaltender we all knew.

Renaud even went so far as to say that the Canadiens had installed a landline at Price's home to ensure he was adhering to the curfew imposed on the players. Before that, the team couldn't reach him.

This morning, on BPM Sports, Renaud picked up the discussion where he'd left off the day before with Mapper… with one small nuance: this time, Renaud was talking about a similar, if slightly superior, start to a career, rather than a player who was significantly ahead of the curve. But at its core, the essence of his argument remains the same—and it's entirely valid.

Statistically speaking, it's true that after 20 games, Jacob Fowler has better stats than Carey Price did at the same stage of his NHL career:

Jacob Fowler: 11-7-2, 2.35, .908, and two shutouts.
Carey Price: 9-8-3, 2.97, .907, and no shutouts.

It's worth noting, however, that Fowler is almost 22 years old, whereas Price was 20 on the night of his 21st game in the Bettman League. A 22-year-old is generally more mature than a 20-year-old.

Because yes, Renaud Lavoie has been praising Jacob Fowler's maturity and professionalism since last night.

“He's a professional through and through. He doesn't seem interested in Montreal's nightlife.” – Renaud Lavoie, on Jacob Fowler

It's a fact: Carey Price needed to discover and enjoy Montreal's nightlife before becoming the goaltender he was. Once he tested the waters in Montreal, a lot of things started to snowball. And you know how far that went…

Price had to battle his demons throughout his years in Montreal, even going so far as to seek help toward the end of his career.

Let's get back to Fowler.

We can all sense that he's hungry. That he's motivated. That he's willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in the best league in the world.

Fowler wasn't the No. 1 goaltender on his U20 national team before arriving in Montreal, and he hasn't tasted the ultimate glory of the American Hockey League the way Price has. He could have last year, but the team chose to keep him with the big club to back up Jakub Dobes.

Price, on the other hand, arrived in Montreal as a star. Fifth overall pick, a championship with Team Canada Junior, a championship with the Canadiens' farm team…

They even traded Cristobal Huet and Jaroslav Halak to make room for him.

Fowler, on the other hand, will have to compete with Jakub Dobes—and for quite some time—if he wants to establish himself as the organization's true No. 1.

In closing, Renaud Lavoie noted that if, in a few years, Fowler gets off to a rough start to the season, he won't be benched the way Jakub Dobes is currently being benched.

When I hear all this, I can't help but read between the lines: Does Jakub Dobes enjoy Montreal's nightlife the way Price used to? Is he a professional through and through? Why isn't the Habs afraid to bench him so quickly, when they won't do the same thing in a few years if Fowler has become the #1?

I don't have the answers to these questions.

Or maybe I do have them, but I don't want to—or can't—share them with you.

Here's hoping that Dobes—an excellent goaltender, let's not forget—will bounce back when he's put back in net. Since there won't be any back-to-backs (two games in two nights) until November 18 and 19, Dobes might not get 1,001 chances in the coming weeks.

Overtime

– Renaud Lavoie doesn't think the three-way rotation will last long in Montreal once Samuel Montembeault is ready to return to action. Montembeault might even go play a few games in Laval once he's reactivated… before being traded off quickly, perhaps.

– There's no doubt in Renaud's mind: Jacob Fowler will be in net for the Habs tomorrow night. 99% of people agree with him… except for one credible source I spoke with this morning. Stay tuned.

– I'm revisiting Jakub Dobes' contract this morning: damn, his current struggles are making Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes look bad. If you'd waited a little longer, you might have been able to get him to sign a $3 or $4 million contract, instead of $5.36 million.