Samuel Montembeault opened Canadiens camp in the second group, and the message inside that depth chart is not subtle.
The official camp list landed Thursday afternoon, with William Nadeau breaking down what it means for Marqueur.
Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler are both in Group A. The Quebec native is in Group B, which makes him the third goalie in that building.
Kent Hughes already closed the door on the obvious workaround. He said Monday the club will not carry three goaltenders to open the season.
Fowler is 21 years old and finished last spring as the backup. Nothing about Thursday suggested that has changed.
Dobes handled all 19 playoff dates himself, posting a .907 save percentage through the run. That is the guy who owns the net.
The numbers behind the demotion are ugly. Five wins across 25 appearances and a .873 save percentage.
Samuel Montembeault's Canadiens future takes a stunning turn at camp
At least three, in his words. That turns a routine paperwork move into a real chance of losing an NHL goaltender for nothing.
The contract makes it worse, not better. He is on $3.15 million this season and it is the final year of the deal.
None of this is new information to the front office. Hughes spent the entire summer trying to trade him and never found a partner.
Louis Jean reported the offers that came in were not good enough for management. So they passed, and here we are in mid September.
The alternative is carrying a third goalie nobody wants to use. That is not an alternative, that is a cap hit with a mask on.
Look at what the competition did to earn those A group spots. Dobes won 20 games with a .901 mark across 43 appearances.
The kid was even better in a smaller sample. Fowler won nine of his 17 appearances with a .908 save percentage and a shutout.
None of it changes what this roster is. Montreal finished 48-24-10 and ranked sixth overall while scoring 283 goals.
So how does a team that good end up exposed on a $3.15 million contract?
Putting a useful goalie on waivers is like leaving a decent coat on a bar stool and hoping nobody walks off with it. Somebody always does.
Camp runs through September 26 with two preseason games Saturday. The regular season opens September 29 in Toronto.
Whatever happens in the next few days, one thing is already settled. The Quebec goaltender is not part of the plan, and everybody in Brossard knows it.
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Should the Canadiens put Samuel Montembeault on waivers and risk losing him for nothing?
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