Habs' Three Goalie System - Who is this helping?

[RGM81]

We are now through a quarter of the season and I don't think this ongoing three-goalie rotation is beneficial for either the team or the three goalies involved. I understand why it happened at the start of the year--with all the goalie injuries out there, Habs management couldn't risk losing Cayden Primeau on waivers. He would not have cleared. Even if he's not where the organization wants him to be in his development, a team would definitely take a chance on him at minimal expense.

Since then, though, none of the guys has been able to get into a groove. Montembeault has played pretty well for the most part. Primeau you can see he's gaining confidence. Allen, though, as a veteran deserves to get to play and show he still has the chops either for the team in the short term or as tradebait (hello, Mr. Holland!)...but his play has not been great this year. He hasn't won in his last five starts and hasn't been stellar in any of them. It's not been the best showcase. Other GM's watch the games too and while the Habs do concede a lot of opportunities in their own zone, Allen's allowed at least 1-2 bad goals per game.

So we've got this scenario where the younger guys aren't getting multiple starts in a row, and can't get the chance to really establish a rhythm. Playing only one game a week isn't ideal.

This was never going to be a season where most thought Habs would be in the playoffs or even in contention for the playoffs. But you want to see progress and development. This rotation is hindering things considerably.

Rumour is that Montembeault would like a longer term deal to secure his future in Montreal. I think if the club does that it's a nice vote of confidence in him. He's played the most of all our goalies in each of the past two years and has come a long way from an after-thought waiver wire acquisition from Florida. He was really good at the World Championships last spring. He's been serviceable for this team and fits in the youth movement. I'm still optimistic that Primeau can be a credible NHL goalie. And looking down the road Jacob Fowler appears to be the real deal at least at the collegiate level.

They gotta do something at some point, but the situation creates issues that they're really getting in their own way to rectify it.

[odjickfan]

Hopefully the Habs will be able to get some return for Jake Allen. He will be retired before the day the Habs are contenders again.

[30ranfordfan]

The 3 goalie thing is awful. Not quite as bad as having no AHL affiliate so you piggy back off another team's - and send your top goaltending prospect to not play there...... but it's pretty bad.

From an asset management point of view, they did what they had to do at the start of the season. Keep all three up (too great of a risk of losing one, if they get sent down). Things will sort themselves out, at least in theory.

My take?

What does the org think about Cayden Primeau. Does he have an NHL future with the Habs? (Doesn't have to be as a starter - but is he in the teams plans for the next 3-5 years?).

If they really believe in him, then they need to make a spot for him. One of the other two have to go.

Allen is the older, more expensive of the two. It seems unlikely he'll be in the team's plans past next season. If they don't trade him this year, I think it's really likely they trade him next year..... but if they're not comfortable with a Montembeault / Primeau combination for the next 1 & 3/4s of a season - it's hard to trade him.

Montembeault is the real wild card of the mix, IMO. He's played well. Nobody is going to mistake him for Carey Price, but he's been pretty good. He's cheap, and he has no long term contract. There will be a team at some point this season (there probably is a couple of them already) that will ask about him - because he's easy to fit under the cap, and is (in theory) at least serviceable. Has he shown enough to be a long term piece for Montreal?

If they want to move out a goalie, I know a particular team out west that could really use one. Montembeault is the one that would make sense to me if the Oilers were going to deal for one of those guys (for exactly the reasons I already mentioned). If it works out, they could look at extending him for a few years. Primeau makes no sense for the Edmonton. Allen only works if there is salary retention and/or a player earning a decent paycheque headed back.

The problem is, in a trade like that, I'm not sure either of those guys are the the kind of world beater that Edmonton should be looking for in trade - if they're going to move former 1st round picks, young roster players, or future high picks...... and I'm not sure why Montreal would want to trade those guys for less than that.

Carolina needs help too. Allen to the Hurricans might make sense?

Getting Montembeault locked up is key though. I'm assuming he'll be asking for something in the $2.5-3.5 range. Give him that for three years, and then you can move one of the others. If they can't get him locked up by the end of January, he's probably the one they should move.

[RGM81]

Well this makes me happy to see: https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/d...l-montembeault

3-year contract extension for Montembeault. Good salary hit too at a mere $3.15M, which is less than what they're paying Jake Allen.

[RGM81]

Was listening to a recent episode of The Sick Podcast, and they were talking at length about Primeau. The situation for him is especially dire, particularly after performances like the one on Thursday. He let in five goals, all glove side, and it was not a good performance. There's a feeling like every time he's out there, it's almost like his NHL career depends upon it. And to an extent it does. If he plays poorly, there may be more willingness by management to try to push him back through to Laval. Other GM's watch the games, is the hope. He gets maybe a game every 7-10 days which is far from optimal, whereas if he's in the AHL he's the starting goalie and getting a lot more reps. If he gets claimed, then it's really like his NHL career depends upon strong efforts because once you've been on waivers already, you're already getting close.

There was a decent amount of hype surrounding him--people felt that he could end up being the successor to Carey....heavy accolade for a 7th round pick. Look at the pricing of his cards in his rookie year, people were paying pretty high for him, and that even carried through much of the last two years despite limited NHL performances and many of them not great. His NHL record is like 5-15-2 and his career GAA Is over 4.00. I don't think he's the future and I don't know if he's even a viable NHL backup at this stage.

But it's a really tough situation for him right now because of all that extra pressure to perform.

[30ranfordfan]

They answered the question as to what they think of Montembeault. What Allen is - a decent vet, decent contract - is obvious. What do they think they have in Primeau?

Not playing isn't helping Primeau. Montembeault is now clearly their starter for the next couple of years (unless someone usurps him). IMO - if they see Primeau as a guy that split the games with Montembeault (or become the #1), then they should deal Allen sooner, rather than later. If they don't think he's that - either try and sneak him through waivers, or flip him for a pick. He's probably not worth much more than a 4th, but that's better than losing him for nothing (if they're really concerned he'd be claimed).

[RGM81]

I think Monty is pretty firmly entrenched now as the 1A. I suspect they were really hoping Primeau would step it up to be the 1B to make Allen...I don't want to say expendable, but to be able to use him for getting assets to continue the rebuild.

They don't have any immediate help in the pipeline. The goalies in Laval this year are Jakob Dobes and someone called Strauss Mann. They did draft three goalies this past year, and Jacob Fowler is currently tearing it up in NCAA. That's good for the long-term, but hey, Primeau was also really good in NCAA.

And given the injuries which have plagued this team for so long....if anything were to happen to either of the NHL goalies, they'd be in super deep trouble.