Canadiens’ Dobes Deserves at Least 10 More Starts in 2024-25

The supposed Montreal Canadiens goaltending controversy is one of their own creation. Of course, backup Jakub Dobes has played well, winning each of his five starts (1.55 goals-against average and .941 save percentage). However, the games he’s gotten haven’t exactly been typical backup fare.

They especially haven’t been typical rookie backup fare, as Dobes got the Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers in his debut (resulting in a shutout). Head coach Martin St. Louis next gave him the offensive-powerhouse Colorado Avalanche in the second half of a set of back-to-back games. That only becomes “controversial” when you consider how he gave starter Sam Montembeault the cellar-dwelling Chicago Blackhawks instead the night before.

With exception to Dobes’ last start, against the New York Rangers, who’ve suddenly come back to life after a free fall down the standings, he’s faced impressive playoff team after impressive playoff team. And he’s come out on top each time, prompting some to suggest there’s an old-fashioned controversy brewing similar to what everyone experienced literally 15 years ago(!) now between Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak.

The point is, St. Louis can’t just put the genie back in the bottle at this point. And, while Montembeault hasn’t necessarily done anything to lose the starting job, limiting Dobes to second-half back-to-back starts from here on out would be rendering everyone a disservice. As general manager Kent Hughes told the press at his mid-season media availability, promoting Dobes (and demoting Cayden Primeau, in whom the Canadiens had lost faith) was done so as not to overwork Montembeault in the first place.

Ultimately, Montembeault has never played more than 41 games in any one professional season. He’s up to 37 with 34 left to go. So, he’s going to get there one way or another. However, it simply makes sense to give Dobes his fair share, based on the need not to run Montembeault into the ground and the former’s play up to this point.

Since his debut, Dobes has effectively played a third of their games. So, it’s hardly crazy to suggest he get at least 10 more, taking everything into account, including the need to play him regularly as the team’s potential goalie of the future. Here are his likeliest starts moving forward:

10. Minnesota Wild (Jan. 30 at home)

Giving Dobes the Minnesota Wild is an assumption the Canadiens will play Montembeault vs. the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, Jan. 25 and the Jets on Tuesday, Jan. 28, all at home. That would give Montembeault four straight starts, which is perfectly reasonable, not to mention the Western Conference-leading Jets, who present the biggest single-game test in the foreseeable future for the Habs.

You’d think it would be an open-and-shut case that they’d give it to Montembeault. However, they did just play Dobes vs. the current league leaders in the Washington Capitals a few weeks ago. So, you never know. That having been said, the Wild are an impressive 28-16-4. So, whether the Canadiens give Dobes them or the Jets, he’ll have his hands full.

This may not be a back-to-back situation. Still, the strategy here would simply be not to give Montembeault too many games in a row. If they only gave Dobes back-to-backs, they’d be starting their No. 1 at least six straight times, which is less than ideal and quite frankly stupid, based on the ability to be relied on Dobes has displayed.

9. San Jose Sharks (Feb. 4 on the road)

Whether Dobes gets the Jets or Wild, it will only be a few games before he plays next, which will logically be one of the Canadiens’ next back-to-back games in early February. The Habs go on their annual West Coast road trip, facing the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 2, the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 4 and the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 5. So, it will be the Sharks or Kings.

In theory, the Canadiens could space out his starts by giving Dobes the Jets and Kings. However, operating under the assumption the Habs aren’t completely on board with this idea of throwing their potential goalie of the future to the wolves again and again, the easier opposition in each case, just within five days of one another, seems like big enough of a workload, Save the 26-14-5 Kings for Montembeault. Give Dobes the 14-31-6 Sharks.

8.  Tampa Bay Lightning (Feb. 9 at home)

However the Canadiens divvy up the next few weeks, Dobes should be playing games in close proximity to one another, with their annual set of home matinees on Super Bowl weekend approaching soon after their West Coast road trip. The Saturday game is against the Devils, while they play the Lightning on the Sunday. The Habs can go either way here, but, with Montembeault taking part in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, why not give him a rest the last game before the break?

7. Ottawa Senators (Feb. 22 on the road)

The same goes for the Canadiens’ first game back against the Ottawa Senators after the tournament. The final takes place on Feb. 20, a few days beforehand. Of course, there’s no guarantee Montembeault will need a rest. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

Even if his Canadian team reaches the final, chances are slim he’ll end up in net as possibly the country’s third goalie behind Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill. Rust will potentially have set in, and, while that’s also true of everyone who had been on break, giving him time to reacclimate to Habs is far from a bad idea.

6. Buffalo Sabres (March 3 at home)

The last time the Canadiens played a home-and-home series it was last December. They opted to give Montembeault both starts against the Detroit Red Wings in back-to-back games, no less, effectively signalling the end of then-backup Cayden Primeau’s current NHL tenure.

This time around, the Canadiens play the Buffalo Sabres a few days apart. So, they don’t need to give Dobes one game. However, they also don’t need to give Montembeault both. Why not share the love?

5. Seattle Kraken (March 12 on the road)

If it’s not the Seattle Kraken on March 12, it will surely be the Vancouver Canucks the day before, as the Canadiens take a trip to Western Canada (and the American Northwest). On paper (and in the standings), the Canucks, despite their struggles are the better team. Montembeault should get them, seeing as it would represent just his third in a row according to this piece’s projected rotation. That leaves the Kraken for Dobes.

4. New York Islanders (March 20 on the road)

The Islanders represent another non-back-to-back game. However, if the Canadiens didn’t play Dobes here, they’d probably have to vs. the Sens on March 18 or the Avalanche on March 22. The Sens are in the thick of the Eastern Conference wild-card race with the Habs and the Avs game would be on a Saturday night at home. Montembeault makes sense in both instances, and, if you don’t give Dobes one of the three, you’re again playing with fire, as Montembeault risks burning out, with what would be at least five straight games.

3. Philadelphia Flyers (March 27 on the road)

The Canadiens’ next set of back-to-back games is March 27-28 against the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. The way they deploy their goalies here will demonstrate pretty clearly how they view each on their depth chart.

The Flyers are in the midst of another non-playoff season and, well, the 30-16-3 Hurricanes just acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Avs in a clear bid to make a run at a championship in the star’s last season under contract. If they don’t do what’s largely expected here, they’ll only be adding more fuel to the fire of the aforementioned goaltending controversy.

2. Nashville Predators (April 6 on the road)

There’s a bit more wiggle room on April 5-6, when the Canadiens coincidentally play the Flyers again in the first half of back-to-backs. The next day, they visit the similarly disappointing Nashville Predators. However, the Flyers game is at home on a Saturday night, meaning it will probably go to their No. 1 (Montembeault, to be clear).

1. Toronto Maple Leafs (April 12 on the road)

This will be another big test for Dobes. Either he gets the Cup-contending Maple Leafs on the final Saturday of the season, albeit on the road, or he plays the Sens the previous night (also on the road). The Leafs are obviously the stronger team, but it’s quite possible the Sens and Habs are still competing for a playoff spot as the season draws to a close.

Logic dictates you give Dobes the stronger opponent, as he’s proven capable of facing top-tier competition before. Montembeault should get the “four-point” game instead as it simply means more in the grand scheme of things. It at least should, if everything goes according to plan, starting with when (and how much) they play each goalie from here on out.