It appears that Samuel Montembeault’s injury isn’t as bad as initially feared. The Habs announced Friday that the netminder is set to miss the next 10-14 days due to his lower-body injury.
The injury occurred in practice on Wednesday and while he was able to skate off under his own power, he wasn’t putting much weight on his right leg. Montembeault had been slated to get the start on Thursday against Nashville but instead, that went to Jacob Fowler, who was recalled from Laval.
Montembeault is certainly looking for a bounce-back season after a rocky showing in 2025-26. Last year, he had a 3.43 GAA and a .872 SV% in 25 games, going from being Montreal’s starting goalie to their third-string option down the stretch and in the playoffs.
This is a contract year for the 29-year-old, who’s in the final season of a three-year deal worth $3.15 million per year. With Fowler and Jakub Dobes (who signed a three-year extension this summer) in the fold, it’s fair to say that barring something unforeseen, Montembeault’s next contract will be with another organization.
That reality placed an extra emphasis on the start of his season. Montembeault had a solid showing in training camp to earn the second-string role to start the year, resulting in Fowler returning to Laval. Unfortunately, this injury comes before he could play a regular season game. Now, once he’s cleared to return, Montembeault will effectively have gone the better part of a month between appearances, dating back to his last half-game of the preseason in September.
With that in mind, it’s possible that the Canadiens will give Montembeault a spot start with the Rocket on a conditioning stint once he’s cleared to return to make sure he’s ready for game action with the Habs. In the meantime, Fowler should get one or two more starts as he looks to try to stake a claim to Montembeault’s backup role. If he can’t do so (or management wants to ensure ample playing time), Fowler will be back with the Rocket when Montembeault is ready to return.