Canadiens’ Montembeault is good as gold at worlds

Canada won a record 28th gold medal at the world championship, one more than Russia, while Germany took silver for its first medal since winning silver in 1953.

From waiver draft to world champion.

Samuel Montembeault’s hockey career has been a wild ride since the Canadiens claimed him off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Oct. 2, 2021, less than two weeks before the start of the NHL regular season.

On Sunday, Montembeault made 21 saves as Canada beat Germany 5-2 in the gold-medal game at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in Tampere, Finland. Montembeault played seven games in the tournament, finishing with a 1.42 goalsagainst average and a .939 save percentage.

Canadiens defenceman Justin Barron was also part of Team Canada, picking up three assists in the 10 games he played to go along with a plus-2 differential.

Sammy Blais scored two goals for Canada in the goldmedal game, while Lawson Crouse, Tyler Toffoli and Scott Laughton (emptynetter) added singles. Canada won a record 28th gold medal at the world championship, one more than Russia, while Germany took silver for its first medal since winning silver in 1953.

Latvia beat the United States 4-3 in overtime in Sunday’s bronze-medal game for its first medal in any hockey world championship.

Montembeault’s performance at the world championship should be a huge confidence boost for the 26-year-old from Bécancour, Que., heading into the Canadiens’ training camp in September. The gold medal was a wonderful way for Montembeault to wrap up a season that saw him play in a career-high 40 games while posting a 16-19-3 record, a 3.42 goals-against average and an impressive .901 save percentage on a team that finished 28th in the overall NHL standings and ranked 29th in defence.

It would have been difficult for Montembeault to envision the current scenario when the Canadiens claimed him off waivers: he had only played 25 career NHL games with the Panthers after being selected in the third round (77th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. Montembeault had a 9-8-3 record with the Panthers, along with a 3.20 GAA and a .892 save percentage.

The Canadiens were desperate for a goaltender when they claimed Montembeault off waivers after learning Carey Price would miss the start of the 2021-22 season while recovering from knee surgery, and that Price would also be headed into the NHL/ NHLPA player assistance program for what he later revealed were problems with alcohol. Montembeault was brought in to be a backup to veteran Jake Allen, who took over the No. 1 job from Price.

Now, Montembeault has put himself in position to be the No. 1 goalie next season and he could also become the Canadiens’ goalie of the future, with Price’s career all but officially over because of a lingering knee problem. Montembeault should also be in for a substantial raise as he heads into the final season of a two-year, Us$2-million contract with a $1-million salary-cap hit. He can become an unrestricted free agent after next season.

Allen has two seasons left on his contract with an annual salary-cap hit of US$3.85 million before he can become an unrestricted free agent. At 32, Allen is too old to be considered the Canadiens’ goalie of the future and he has also been injury prone the last two seasons, opening the door for Montembeault.

Cayden Primeau is only 23 and has played well the last four seasons with the AHL’S Laval Rocket, but he has looked overmatched when called up to the Canadiens. In 21 NHL games, Primeau has a 3-12-2 record with a 4.11 GAA and a .871 save percentage.

Canadiens management has some tough decisions to make when it comes to their goaltending as this team rebuild moves forward. Primeau would have to be placed on waivers before being sent back to Laval next season, and there’s the possibility of losing him in that scenario.

Will GM Kent Hughes look to trade Allen during the off-season and create a battle between Montembeault and Primeau next season? Or has Hughes already seen enough from Primeau that he’d be willing to risk losing him on waivers? There’s also the possibility of the Canadiens selecting a top goalie prospect at this year’s NHL Draft.

I’d lean toward keeping Montembeault and Allen next season, let the goaltending situation play out and then decide at the trade deadline what moves to make. Goaltending doesn’t have to be Hughes’s priority right now.

Hughes made it clear last season that he wasn’t going to trade Montembeault.

“He still has a lot to experience as a goalie, but we see the potential,” Hughes said midway through the season. “So Sam definitely isn’t going anywhere.”

Montembeault showed that potential again at the world championship. He also showed it when he played eight straight games this season after Allen was injured, posting a 4-4 record with a .930 save percentage.

One of Montembeault’s best qualities is his ability to remain calm and cool, which certainly helps when you’re playing goalie for the Canadiens.

Goaltenders are a different breed and normally take longer to develop than other players. Montembeault’s best years should be ahead of him, but time will tell.

On Sunday, it was pretty cool to watch him lining up with his teammates to sing O Canada with a gold medal around his neck.