A surprising goalie controversy has brewed at the start of this season for the Montreal Canadiens.
During last year's playoffs, it seemed Jakub Dobes was the no-doubt, number-one guy for the Habs. But some early-season struggles have changed that equation. The club has now turned to Jacob Fowler, leading to sudden speculation about Dobes' availability for trade.
One notable Canadiens insider, Marco D'Amico, dumped cold water on the idea of trading Dobes, but did point out that if someone really wanted to land Dobes, it won't come easy.
"It would take a massive trade to include a guy like Dobes right now."
Indeed, the Canadiens are looking for a top-six center to play behind Nick Suzuki. But unless that center was someone like Sidney Crosby or Nathan MacKinnon, Dobes wouldn't be included in the package.
Given how bullish the organization remains on Dobes, D'Amico made it clear that the Canadiens are not close to moving him at this juncture.
"I don't think the Canadiens are there. But I do think that… the Canadiens love for Jakub Dobes is good, very good. The Canadiens love for Jacob Fowler is universally high."
So, there it is. Dobes and Fowler are the pieces moving forward in Montreal. D'Amico went as far as describing Vezina potential for Fowler.
And that's why a trade involving a Canadiens goalie won't mean Dobes or Fowler.
If the Canadiens were to move a goalie at this point in time, it would be Samuel Montembeault.
That's hardly a state secret, and, well, he's likely to be on the outs sooner rather than later. It would take a team losing a goalie, like the New York Rangers , to seriously consider an impending UFA netminder to fill the gap for the remainder of the season.
That's precisely what D'Amico proposed in his opinion.
"I think Montembeault, as a free agent, makes more sense, less risk to move."
So, if it's going to be a goalie, it's likely going to be Montembeault. The only real question would be the timing of a potential trade. That's something the organization will have to determine, particularly based on the phone calls that Kent Hughes might get in the coming days or weeks.
One of the storylines during last postseason for the Canadiens was just how hard the team pushed Dobes. The Habs starter played every game of the back-to-back seven-game series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres.
Dobes was brilliant, but he, along with the rest of the Canadiens, seemingly ran out of gas in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Now, it seems that the physical, but especially mental, toll has caught up to Dobes. But that's actually nothing of serious concern. Young players who go through the rigors of their first long playoff run feel that physical, mental, and even emotional toll.
Perhaps it might just be a matter of time before Dobes' mind and body rebound from the situation. However, it can't take long, as the Atlantic Division offers very little runway for slow starts.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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