Something Slipped With Sam Montembeault: Will He Return to Canadiens’ Crease?

For the Montreal Canadiens’ Sam Montembeault, December hasn’t just been unkind — it’s been clarifying. At the start of the month, Montembeault was still recognizable as the Canadiens’ steady option. Not so much now.

He’s usually calm, structured, and predictable. The kind of performance that buys a goalie a little breathing room. But that room disappeared in a blink.

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Montembeault’s Slide Begins

The first warning sign came against Ottawa on December 3. Five goals against, one win in six starts, and a sense that the puck was starting to arrive just a half-second earlier than he was ready for it. For a goalie, sometimes it all begins when the timing drifts a little too much.

A couple of shaky games put Montembeault on the bench. Then illness kept him out of the lineup, and it was conveniently timed. Coaches never say it out loud, but sometimes a goalie sitting is as much about the pause as the flu.

When Montembeault returned against Tampa Bay on December 10, Jakub Dobes got the crease. Montembeault came in relief and surrendered three goals on twelve shots in a game that was already slipping away. It wasn’t disastrous. It was forgettable. The kind of game that doesn’t rebuild confidence or force a conversation.

By then, the numbers were staring back at everyone. A goals-against average creeping upward toward four. A save percentage that begins in the “.85” area code is never a comfortable place to live, especially in a market that remembers its goaltenders forever.

As Montembeault’s and Dobes’ play slid into November and December, so did the Canadiens in the standings. The wild-card picture is fading, and patience is wearing thin.

Montembeault Conditioning Assignment Isn’t About Conditioning

Now, Montembeault has moved to the AHL Laval Rocket. On paper, it’s a conditioning stint. That’s the language used. In practice, it’s a reset for the goalie and the organization. Montembeault hasn’t played since December 9. He’ll get a chance to see pucks again without the Bell Centre holding its breath behind him.

Dobes and Jacob Fowler will handle the NHL crease for now, and that tells you enough. The move to Laval isn’t punishment, and it isn’t permanent. But the Canadiens hope it serves a purpose.

Goaltenders don’t usually lose their game forever. They sometimes misplace it for a bit. The AHL can be a place where those things are recovered quietly.

So What’s With Montembeault?

At 29, Montembeault is neither a prospect nor an old veteran. He’s survived long odds before by working hard and finding success. Now, the question is which turn he can make at the crossroads he’s currently facing.

Montreal hasn’t buried the guy. They just pressed pause. Laval is a reminder that the game, at its core, is still about stopping pucks — one shot at a time. Whether Montembeault finds his way back quickly remains to be seen.

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