Do the Habs start next year with three proven goalies or trade one of them in the summer?
Ric Turpin
I can’t see the Canadiens starting next season with three goalies and I expect Samuel Montembeault will be traded this summer.
When general manager Kent Hughes met with the media at the end of the season, he joked that he has always said having three goalies is not ideal, yet the Canadiens found themselves in that situation again with Montembeault, Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler. The Canadiens also juggled three goalies for the majority of the 2023-24 season with Montembeault, Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau before Allen was dealt to the New Jersey Devils at the NHL trade deadline.
The fact the Canadiens didn’t even dress Montembeault as a backup for the playoffs after calling up Fowler from the AHL’s Laval Rocket leads me to believe the 29-year-old doesn’t have a future in Montreal. From a development standpoint, it would have made more sense to have Fowler play for the Rocket in the AHL playoffs with Montembeault backing up Dobes. But that didn’t happen, showing how much confidence the Canadiens had lost in Montembeault. Fowler only played one game in the playoffs, replacing Dobes for the final 8:23 of an 8-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, allowing one goal on two shots.
Montembeault has one season left on his contract with a very reasonable US$3.15 million salary-cap hit and I don’t think Hughes will have trouble trading him after one bad season. There are several NHL teams with goaltending problems.
I feel the Habs’ season turned around when goalie coach Eric Raymond was fired and replaced by Marco Marciano and, all of a sudden, Jakub Dobes became a star. The Habs’ defence was their weakest point and should Stéphane Robidas be replaced as well? It seems our defencemen are told to avoid hitting and just back up and use their sticks, which may work during the regular season, but doesn’t in the playoffs. I have been a fan for 70 years and would love to see us go all the way.
Bernie Mlynarski
Promoting Marciano from the Laval Rocket to replace Raymond on Jan. 28 was definitely a turning point in the season for the Canadiens. In the 19 regular-season games Dobes played after Marciano joined the Canadiens, he had a 13-5-1 record with a 2.57 GAA and a .914 save percentage. Dobes had a 2.96 GAA and an .890 save percentage before Marciano arrived. In the playoffs, Dobes had a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage, and he’s the biggest reason the Canadiens advanced to the Eastern Conference final.
The Canadiens’ defencemen have high praise for Robidas, so don’t expect him to be replaced as an assistant coach after four seasons with the team. Head coach Martin St. Louis seems very comfortable with Robidas and Trevor Letowski as his assistant coaches.
“Robidas does so much for our D,” Lane Hutson said at the end of the season. “Brings a calming mindset. Just kind of lets us play and inserts himself when he needs to. Having him put trust in our D and myself, it means a ton and I’m very thankful that he’s helping us out.”
Here’s what veteran defenceman Mike Matheson had to say about Robidas: “He played in the league for so long (15 years) and so I think he’s really good at managing the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows of each game and each season. I think he helps the young guys a lot with that in keeping things in perspective.”
Team Canada’s Michael Hage controls the puck against Czechia during semifinal game at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in St. Paul, Minn., on Jan. 4. Nick Wosika / Getty Images
Do you think with the pressure for the Habs to get a second-line centre that Michael Hage may also feel it? Seeing there is a chance he could be traded, might that get him to reconsider his decision to return to the University of Michigan next season? This, in turn, may make him rethink staying an additional year and try to be that second-line centre himself.
Shawn Thompson
Canadiens president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton was asked about Hage’s situation when he met with the media on Thursday and didn’t rule out the possibility of the 20-year-old changing his mind about returning to Michigan for a third season.
That could definitely depend on what the Canadiens do or don’t do this summer.
“I think we’ve talked to Michael a lot,” Gorton said. “He’s told us that he would like to stay in school. We’ve kind of left it there. But we also told him to take some time. It’s a long summer. Things happen. Maybe we add people, maybe we don’t. Maybe there’s something that you see that changes your mind. Maybe something happens at Michigan that changes your mind.
“So we left it open,” Gorton added. “We’ll continue to talk to Michael, but we’re going to respect his opinion and if he wants to change that, we’ll be open to that discussion. If he wants to stay there, we’ll support him with that.”
Do trades by other teams worry the Habs (ie.: Ottawa and Florida)?
Grumpy on X — @Cwl_Eastridge
No, they don’t.
Here’s what Gorton said when asked that question on Thursday:
“I don’t think it’s a great way to go about it and just be reactive to other teams are doing some things, so it’s our turn. We’re going to make calculated decisions on things we’re doing. Hopefully, you’ve seen that in the past since we’ve been here and we’re going to continue doing that. Would we like to improve our team? Yes! Are we active, calling everybody, talking, looking at different situations? Yes. But, honestly, we don’t feel the pressure from anywhere else to do anything that doesn’t fit into what we want to do.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily the greatest decision that we would see another team do something and just react to it.”
In your opinion, is sticking with the process and waiting for Michael Hage, Alexander Zharovsky, David Reinbacher, Bryce Pickford and company an equally viable option as trading for someone now?
Drew Mersereau
After being the youngest team in the playoffs for the last two years and advancing to the Eastern Conference final this season, the Canadiens are ahead of schedule in their rebuilding plan that started just over four years ago.
Captain Nick Suzuki is 26 and in the prime of his career after posting 29-72-101 totals this season to become the first Canadien to hit the 100-point mark since Mats Naslund had 43-67-110 totals in 1985-86. The Canadiens also won the Stanley Cup that season.
Patience has been a virtue for Gorton since he started the rebuilding process, but the window of opportunity to win a Stanley Cup is open for the Canadiens ahead of schedule and they should be willing to trade some top prospects for proven players who give them a better chance of winning. There’s no guarantee those top prospects will pan out.
Having said that, the Canadiens aren’t looking for any quick fixes.
“Ultimately, it’s my job to make sure we’re on top of things, fully aware of what opportunities might be out there that allow us to advance in what we’re trying to accomplish, but in an intelligent manner,” Hughes said at the end of the season. “The message is are we going to trade for a guy for one year that gives us a chance to be better and compete for a Cup at the expense of some really important pieces of the future? Unlikely. Hopefully, we can continue to do what we’ve done, which is where we are aggressive in adding players that can continue to help us short term, but also medium and long term.”
Editor’s Picks
What chance do any of the current prospects have to actually crack the lineup next season, or are they all trade fodder?
Habsfan3000 on X — @Habsfan3000
At this point, I don’t think there are any prospects who are considered untouchable as the Canadiens look to add a second-line centre and/or top-six forward with size, along with an experienced right-shot defenceman.
You have to give up something to get something and it was reported the Canadiens were willing to trade Zharovsky, another prospect and two first-round picks to the Toronto Maple Leafs at this year’s NHL trade deadline in exchange for 23-year-old forward Matthew Knies.
If the Canadiens aren’t able to find a right-shot defenceman this summer, I expect Reinbacher will have a shot at making the team next season. Since the Canadiens are looking to get bigger and tougher to play against, I think Florian Xhekaj will be given every opportunity to make the team next season.
“I think this guy is going to be a good player in the NHL and I think he’s going to be a good playoff player, and we need that in Montreal,” Pascal Vincent, who coached Xhekaj with the Rocket the last two seasons, said recently on The Sick Podcast With Tony Marinaro after being named an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken.
Why isn’t J.C. Tremblay in the Hall of Fame?
I know the Canadiens have a number of former players that are borderline Hall of Fame worthy, but one glaring omission is Tremblay. He came up on a broadcast statistic graphic comparing another Lane Hutson achievement. I looked Tremblay up and it would seem a no-brainer that he be in the Hall of Fame.
Habs management is working hard to bring its history to a new generation of fans. I would hope part of this would include getting behind an effort to get Tremblay elected to the Hall of Fame. Do you have any thoughts on this?
John Brissette
I was only 9 when Tremblay played his last game with the Canadiens in 1972 before making the jump to the WHA with the Quebec Nordiques. So I only have vague memories of him as a player and the main one is him flipping the puck high in the air to get it out of the defensive zone and start an offensive rush — something you see often in today’s NHL. Tremblay was ahead of his time.
Tremblay ranks seventh among Canadiens defencemen in career points with 57-306-363 totals.
The late, great Red Fisher covered Tremblay’s 13 seasons with the Canadiens, which included five Stanley Cups. Tremblay also won the WHA’s Avco Cup with the Nordiques in 1977.
Fisher believed Tremblay was a Hall of Famer, calling him an “unsung superstar” during a feature story he wrote in 2009.
“What made Tremblay special was his playmaking,” Fisher wrote. “He had an uncanny feel for the puck. If he wasn’t feathering a pass to a sprinting forward, he was the NHL’s best delivering it in a high, lazy arc to an open man. During his time, there was nobody better in terms of taking care of business in his own end of the ice.
“He didn’t have the size, but few had a better understanding of what was needed to win,” Fisher added. “Tremblay’s colleagues during his years with the team were people such as Jacques Laperrière, Ted Harris and Jean-Guy Talbot, but when a lead had to be protected or an important goal was needed, Tremblay was your man.
“There are many people who feel Tremblay is the best Canadiens defenceman who hasn’t been voted into the Hall. The fact is he was nominated several times, but failed to attract the required number of votes. Still, the argument continues. Jacques Laperrière is there, so why not Tremblay? Tom Johnson is a member, why not J.C. Superstar?”
Good question.
How does the Canadiens fan base stack up in terms of energy and enthusiasm against some of these World Cup nations?
Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
While the Canadiens fanbase is very passionate, fans at the World Cup take it to another level when cheering for their country in the world’s most popular sport.
I enjoy watching the fan reaction even more than the games while watching the World Cup on TV.
It has been reported that a 125-decibel sound level was recorded at the Scotland v Haiti game during the pre match anthem singing of Flower of Scotland – the loudest ever noise level at a World Cup match. ??????? pic.twitter.com/0kEoBF2uuv
— James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) June 15, 2026
My parents came to Canada from Glasgow before I was born and I loved watching the Scottish Tartan Army take over Boston (and drink the city out of beer) and then Florida with their bagpipes while cheering on their team. Listening to the Tartan Army sing Flower of Scotland before games was something special.
How do the Habs feel as an organization about Brendan Gallagher being made a citizen of honour of the Ville de Montréal?
Spamfighter on X — @Spamfighter
It’s unfortunate the way things came to an end for Gallagher with the Canadiens, being a healthy scratch for 16 of 19 playoff games. I still don’t understand why the Canadiens didn’t dress him for Game 5 against Carolina to maybe provide a much-needed spark. Instead, the Canadiens were eliminated without much of a fight, losing 6-1 to the Hurricanes.
Gallagher made it clear after the season ended that his days in Montreal are over and that he wants to be traded — preferably to the Vancouver Canucks. The 34-year-old grew up in Vancouver, played junior hockey there with the WHL’s Giants and has his summer home in Tsawwassen, B.C. Gallagher has one year left on his contract with a US$6.5 million salary-cap hit and won’t be easy to trade after scoring only seven goals this season.
I’m sure the Canadiens — and Gallagher’s teammates — were happy to see him honoured by Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez on Thursday. The Canadiens posted their congratulations to Gallagher on social media and they have allowed his agent, Gerry Johansson, to speak with other NHL teams to help facilitate a trade.
Félicitations à Brendan Gallagher, nommé citoyen d’honneur de la Ville de Montréal!
Congratulations to Brendan Gallagher on being named a Citizen of Honour by the city of Montreal!
Photo : Ville de Montréal / Sylvain Légaré#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/JczLzFhJWK
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 26, 2026
“We continue to talk to Brendan,” Gorton said Thursday. “We’re pretty open with him and supportive and we’ll see what happens here. We’ve had private conversations with him about what he wants to do. We’ve talked to him about that and I’ll leave it there for now. And then if something evolves, we’ll get to you on that.”
Father Time is undefeated and Gallagher is the latest example.
If the compensation prices are too high on the trade market, can you see teams going the offer-sheet route for restricted free agents since the compensation would be less than the trade route?
Big Bill on Bluesky — @bigbill33.bsky.social
That wouldn’t shock me, especially after what the St. Louis Blues did in 2024, when they made offer sheets to two UFAs with the Edmonton Oilers — defenceman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway — an ended up getting both players.
However, offer sheets are rare and there weren’t any made last year.