Canadiens fans are stunned after two major names surfaced in trade discussions
Samuel Montembeault and Martin St-Louis now look headed toward a summer split in Montreal.
That is the strongest takeaway from the latest trade-market report around the Canadiens.
Frank Seravalli reportedly has Montembeault ranked 11th on his list of the top 25 trade candidates for this summer. That is not background noise. That is a goalie being put squarely on the board.
And the logic is not hard to follow.
Montembeault is under contract for 1 more season at 3.15 million, which makes him far easier to move than a veteran tied to a long, expensive deal. For teams looking for short-term stability in net, that profile has real value.
The problem for Montreal is the depth chart.
Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler are both identified in the report as major parts of the future, and that creates a squeeze fast. Once the organization believes 2 younger goalies are pushing for those spots, the veteran in the middle starts looking movable.
Montembeault's own numbers did not help calm that down either.
The file says he posted a .873 save percentage in 25 games, which is well below the level people in Montreal had grown used to seeing from him.
That turns this from a theory into a real roster decision.
Kent Hughes can keep Montembeault around as insurance, but doing that may leave the Canadiens carrying an experienced third goalie when his trade value is still usable.
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Two major Canadiens players have reportedly landed on the trade block and an announcement is coming
The file makes that point too.
It says Gallagher basically placed himself on the market during his Monday media availability, which is why this no longer feels like one player potentially moving out. It feels like the start of a wider cleanup around the current roster.
That is why the Montembeault piece matters so much.
He recently said he would like to stay in Montreal, but the Canadiens may already be past that stage emotionally. The cap hit is light, the contract is short, and the team has younger goaltending pressure building behind him.
That combination usually ends one way.
A club needing a veteran goalie can justify taking the swing because there is no long-term burden attached. Montreal can justify the move because it opens space and brings back an asset before the value slips.
That is why this feels more serious than a random rumor.
Samuel Montembeault may not be the biggest name on the market, but he looks like one of the clearest Canadiens players whose time in Montreal is running out.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 29, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Taylor Hall | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jackson Blake | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexander Nikishin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Phillip Danault | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||