With the acquisition of Casey DeSmith, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves with three goaltenders for only two spots on the roster. This seems to be the case everywhere, even with the forwards and defence: the Canadiens have too many players for limited positions. With young high-level players trying to make spots on the forward group and defensive corp, it wouldn’t make sense for Montreal to keep three goalies in the lineup. The Habs have options, but keeping a third goalie is the least.
Canadiens Should Trade a Goalie
The rumours of trading a goalie have been making the rounds since last season’s trade deadline. Jake Allen is the favourite goalie to be exchanged due to his annual average value (AAV) of $3.85 million, which would clear cap space for the Canadiens, who currently sit $5.1 million over the cap limit. The issue with Allen, however, is his high AAV for a player that would probably be a backup goalie on any other team. If Sam Montembeault outplays Allen, he could even be the backup for Montreal, but odds are he will split duties with whoever is the other goalie on the team. It’s no secret that Canadiens general manager (GM) Kent Hughes is willing to move any of his goalies as long as he gets the return he wants.
With regard to what other teams are looking for, Montembeault and DeSmith offer the best deal when it comes to AAV and term. Montembeault, who made great strides in improving his game last season, has an AAV of $1 million. His contract is over at the end of the season, and he would be a very cheap add to any team that needs goaltending depth, as he has proven he could play in a starter’s role when Allen went down with multiple injuries. DeSmith numbers are slightly better than Montembeault’s, and his AAV is only $1.8 million until the end of the season; he also proved he is a capable NHL goalie who can start anywhere from 30-40 games. If Hughes is willing to move a goalie, which it’s obvious he probably should, then DeSmith or Montembeault seem more likely to be moved than Allen.
Three Goalies Crowds Canadiens Roster
Having three goalies on the roster is possible but would leave Montreal with only 20 roster spaces for the rest of the lineup. This would leave only one extra position at both forward and defence. The Canadiens have too many young players to have to bury one in the American Hockey League (AHL) to leave room for a guy to sit in the press box most of the season. It’s uncommon for an NHL team to rotate three goalies, so it would mean that at least one of them would be in the press box most of the time, wasting a roster spot.
Related: Canadiens Likely to Trade Petry and DeSmith Before Season
The Canadiens already have issues with too many forwards and defencemen; to keep a third goalie would make that problem even worse. To make room, Hughes has already shipped out Mike Hoffman to the San Jose Sharks in the three-team trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. This freed up a space for a young forward to be guaranteed a spot on the roster, but there are a couple of forwards like Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jesse Ylonen who deserve a spot, and Montreal is still one spot short of making that happen. The defence is crowded now with the addition of Gustev Lindstrom; the Habs now have nine defencemen with only seven spots on the roster. All five of their non-waiver eligible players deserve spots in Montreal, and an extra goalie ensures one or two of them will be playing with the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Keeping a third goalie creates more problems than it solves.
Canadiens Have Other Options but Only a Trade Will Work
The Canadiens don’t have to trade a goalie at all. They could keep all three and move a couple of their defencemen to Laval or one forward and one defenceman and wait until a team needs a goalie to make a move. They could also put one of their goalies in Laval, but they would have to pass through waivers. As it stands, none of Montreal’s goaltenders, including prospect Cayden Primeau are waiver exempt, meaning any goalie sent to Laval would have to clear waivers first. Hughes will have to take that chance with Primeau regardless, but it’s an even more considerable risk with the other three. Because of their AAVs, DeSmith and Montembeault will be tempting targets for other teams to claim off the waiver wire and get them for nothing.
Having four quality goaltenders between the NHL and AHL is a GM’s dream, but with the nature of the waiver wire and the low cost of three of his four goalies, he will undoubtedly lose one for nothing. Hughes isn’t in the business of giving away talent for free, which is why a trade is not the only option but the only viable one. It’s up to Hughes and his team now to decide which goalie is more valuable to the team and which one will bring back the most in a deal. If we are being honest, the market is always attractive for goaltenders, but the value usually isn’t high, and Montreal doesn’t have any game-changers to trade away for a big haul. They do, however, have quality NHL talent that will improve – or at least not hurt – any team they play for, which is valuable in itself.
Hughes has never rushed to move a player and usually comes out of nowhere when he makes a deal. He will get a feel for the market and make the best move to help the team and its future. As I write this, I can’t help but think he will probably move two forwards and defencemen so that he can keep all three goalies. That’s how it has been the last couple of years just when you think you have all the answers, Hughes changes the questions.