Elliotte Friedman highlights a cheap goalie option that could make sense for the Canadiens
Photo credit: All Montreal Hockey / NHL
In the Canadiens’ crease, things are really heating up these days.
Samuel Montembeault currently has a 5-5-1 record, with a 3.61 goals-against average and a .861 save percentage, far from last year’s standards. Jakub Dobes is at 9-3-2, but with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage after a few very difficult nights, including the 7-2 game in Colorado.
As a result, the goaltenders’ overall statistics place the Canadiens near the bottom of the NHL, and the issue continues to spark discussion all over the city. In a recent survey, a significant portion of fans still said they wanted to keep the Montembeault-Dobes duo intact, preferring to let time run its course.
Meanwhile, according to Elliotte Friedman, Laurent Brossoit suddenly becomes a very available name. The Blackhawks activated him from the non-roster injured list on Monday and sent him to Rockford for a conditioning stint in the American Hockey League, after more than a year without an official game.
Laurent Brossoit, a calculated gamble for Kent Hughes?
The British Columbia-born goaltender has recently posted numbers worthy of a number-one goalie. With Vegas in 2022-2023, he finished the season 7-0-3, with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage on his way to a Stanley Cup ring.
Last year in Winnipeg it was even more impressive: a 15-5-2 record, a 2.00 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage, and three shutouts in 23 games, placing him among the league’s best goalies with at least 20 appearances.”Someone said to me, if you were willing to take the full number [$3.3m] for Laurent Brossoit…a late round pick or future considerations; if you’re asking for Chicago to retain…you’ll probably have to do a little bit more.”
– Elliotte Friedman, on the FAN Hockey Show
Brossoit is 32 years old and just missed an entire season due to knee surgery, followed by a hip injury. He still has not played a single minute for the Blackhawks since signing his two-year contract worth 6.6 million dollars, a cap hit of 3.3 million per season.
Chicago has given him permission to speak with other teams and clearly expects to trade him after his conditioning stint. According to what is circulating, if a team agrees to take on his full salary, the asking price would not be high, but any salary retention would raise the cost.
For the Canadiens, the real question becomes who gets pushed aside if they add Brossoit. Sending Jakub Dobes to the American Hockey League would be very poorly received, given he already has 16 wins in just 30 NHL games.
On the other side, significantly reducing Montembeault’s role-after a 31-win season in 62 games-would strongly shake up the hierarchy in net. Kent Hughes must decide whether to continue relying on patience with his current duo or attempt a bold move with a talented but physically fragile goaltender.
Let’s be honest: if Brossoit returns healthy and maintains his level, it would be one hell of a gamble!
Previously on All Montreal Hockey
