It appears the Habs will be returning to a three-goalie system as they continue their push to the playoffs. The team announced on Wednesday that they’ve recalled Jacob Fowler from Laval.
Unless there is an injury or illness to either Jakub Dobes or Samuel Montembeault that hasn’t been announced yet, Fowler’s recall will count against Montreal’s post-deadline limit. The maximum number of allowable regular recalls between now and the end of Laval’s playoff run is five, up from four a year ago. Emergency recalls (in this case, if Dobes or Montembeault were unable to play) don’t count against that limit.
This is Fowler’s second stint with the Canadiens this season. The first one understandably had some ups and downs. The 21-year-old made 10 starts, posting a 4-4-2 record with a 2.62 GAA, a .902 SV%, and one shutout. On the other hand, he posted a save percentage below .900 in four of his last five games, leading to his return to Laval back in January.
Between injuries and an illness that kept him out for more than two weeks, Fowler hasn’t played a lot lately, just six games since the start of February and he only has played once since returning from illness. Nonetheless, he has performed quite well with the Rocket, putting up a 2.23 GAA with a .916 SV% in 27 games with them.
Montembeault’s struggles earlier in the season helped get Fowler his first opportunity and it appears that’s the case here as well. The veteran hasn’t fared particularly well over his last couple of starts and instead of throwing him back out there, it seems like he might get some extended work in with goalie coach Marco Marciano while Fowler will be reunited with the coach he started the season with.
Fowler’s recall wipes out a big chunk of Montreal’s limited cap space to the point where they would need to either free up money or utilize LTIR to afford any other recalls. (If you’re wondering why Patrik Laine is still on IR, this is why, as it allows Montreal to back-date an LTIR placement if they need to). But in the middle of a tight playoff race, the cap isn’t the priority, winning games is. It appears that management has decided that Fowler gives them a better shot at doing so than Montembeault right now.