Samuel Montembeault loses grip on Canadiens' net after Kent Hughes' latest message
Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Samuel Montembeault loses grip on the net as Martin St-Louis faces a clear shift after Kent Hughes changes tone on the Canadiens goalie hierarchy.
This wasn't subtle. Kent Hughes didn't dance around it this time.
For the first time in months, he stopped calling Samuel Montembeault his number one. That alone says everything about where this is headed.
Instead, Hughes made it simple: Martin St-Louis will go with whoever gives the Canadiens the best chance to win each night.
That's not a rotation. That's an open net.
And inside that crease, Montembeault is no longer leading the pack.
Jakub Dobes has forced this conversation. He's been steady, controlled, and tough to beat during his recent stretch.
Canadiens crease turns into open competition
Dobes has 22 wins in 33 games this season, and the staff is clearly leaning into that consistency.
He's not just filling in. He's taking ice.
At the same time, Jacob Fowler is starting to make noise. His arrival didn't feel like a long-term project.
It felt immediate.
Fowler has 5 wins in 12 games, and his early reads in the crease show a goalie who can handle NHL pace right now.
That puts Montembeault in a tough spot. Because this isn't about one bad outing or a short slump.
This is about losing organizational trust in real time.
Montembeault has 10 wins in 25 games this season. Those numbers don't hold the net when two younger options are pushing from behind.
And the timing matters. Just weeks ago, Hughes and Jeff Gorton were publicly backing him without hesitation.
That support is gone.
Now, the Canadiens are watching two younger goalies meet expectations while Montembeault waits.
And waiting can turn into watching.
There's a real chance Montembeault doesn't get another start before the end of the regular season.
That would've sounded impossible not long ago.
Now it feels like the direction.
For a 29-year-old goalie, this is where mindset kicks in. Accepting a reduced role isn't easy, especially in a market like Montreal.
But the crease doesn't care about past trust.
It's about who stops the puck tonight.
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