A star goalie has just requested a trade and he is being targeted to join Samuel Montembeault and the CH

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Elias Edmonson
June 4, 2023 (6:05 PM)

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The Habs are very well positioned for the future not only in defense, but also in offense. However, the goalie position is the most nebulous within the Montreal organization.

If Samuel Montembeault did very well at the end of the season and at the Hockey World Championship, Jake Allen was a disappointment. The latter still has two years left on his contract at $3.85M and is currently paid as the club's number one goalie.

I say currently because Montembeault will become a restricted free agent next July 1st. With his recent performances, he could very well steal the show from Allen and take his place as number one. Both in terms of salary and on the ice.

Nevertheless, a Montembeault/Allen duo is not the pinnacle while the club's progress could take a different turn this season. Also, don't even think about adding Cayden Primeau to the equation, who doesn't seem ready yet to step up.

Kent Hughes might therefore be tempted to acquire either a young goalie for the future, who is already established or on the verge of being in the NHL, or a veteran goalie to help Montembeault.

If he opts for the second option, Hughes would have a great opportunity ahead of him as Frank Seravalli recently stated that goalie John Gibson would like to leave Anaheim. The 29-year-old goalie seems to want a change of scenery and has asked his club to evaluate the options.

We're talking about a goalie who plays behind a poor team, but who has been considered a star goalie for several years.

Although he had a tough 2022-2023 season with his 3.99 goals-against average and his .899 save percentage, Gibson is still an excellent goalie. It should be remembered that he had one of the worst NHL teams in front of him. He could be a very good option for a team like the CH, which is moving to a new stage of its rebuild.

The only small hitch for Kent Hughes would be his contract. The latter has a deal that ties him to the Ducks until the end of the 2026-2027 season that takes $6.4M off the payroll. With Montembeault who could earn around $3M, we would end up with a large amount allocated to the goalie position.

One thing is certain, Kent Hughes will absolutely have to avoid making the opposite mistake of Marc Bergevin. The latter failed to provide a good team to an excellent goalie (Carey Price). The current GM will have to provide a good goalie to a quality lineup. The next draft could be very interesting on this subject!