Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens Sign Montembeault To Two-Year, One-Way Extension

Published

2 years ago

July 18, 2022

Late Monday afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they have signed goalie Samuel Montembeault to a two-year, one-way contract extension.

Per Renaud Lavoie, of TVA Sports, the contract will carry a $1M AAV and per our friends at PuckPedia, this now leaves the Montreal Canadiens with $1.2 million in salary cap space. They have 22 players (13 forwards, six defencemen and three goalies on their roster. Newly acquired and restricted free agent centre Kirby Dach remains unsigned and declined to file for arbitration on Sunday.

After signing Montembeault for $1M per @renlavoietva, #GoHabsGo have $1.2M Cap Space with 22 Players (13F/6D/3G) on the Projected Roster.

RFA: Dach

https://t.co/w7UKmAoGRp

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 18, 2022

What’s intriguing and one could definitely say, telling, is that the Montreal Canadiens gave Samuel Montembeault a one-way contract. This likely means that either Carey Price is coming back and goalie Jake Allen will be traded – maybe to gain some cap space – or that Price won’t be coming back to start the season and the Canadiens will go with a tandem of Montembeault and Allen to begin the 2022-23 season.

In a nightmare season for all involved, Montembeault surely earned this contract for being the ultimate professional and ready and willing to step into the line of fire his Montreal Canadiens teammates. After being claimed off waivers by the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 2, the 6-foot-3, 199-pound netminder went 8-18-6 with a 3.77 GAA and .891 save percentage. Again, while those aren’t impressive nights, there were plenty of nights where Montembeault was facing more rubber than normal. He faced 40 or more shots eight times and 50 or more twice.

Prior to joining the Montreal Canadiens, Montembeault was 8-4-1 with a 2.86 GAA and .898 save percentage for the Tampa Bay Lightning’ AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. He’s also played 91 AHL games for the Springfield Thunderbirds when they were the AHL affiliate for the Florida Panthers.

In 63 career NHL games with the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens, Montembeault has a record of 17-26-9 with a 3.54 goals-against average and .892 save percentage.

The 25-year-old Becancour, QC native was drafted in the third round (77th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.