It hasn’t been lost on Samuel Montembeault that he’s the first Canadiens’ No. 1 goaltender from Quebec since José Theodore.
And even if Montembeault plays a position that will constantly be second-guessed by Montreal hockey fans, he appears ready to embrace the challenge.
“I think I showed (last season) that I can be consistent,” Montembeault said after Tuesday’s practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. “That’s what I want to do every game again this year. Every time I get the chance to be in net, I want to give the team a chance to win.
“It’s a lot of pressure, but I’m really happy about it.”
As expected, Montembeault gets the starting assignment Wednesday night (7 p.m., Sportsnet, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM) when the Canadiens launch their regular season at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Head coach Martin St. Louis said Cayden Primeau will start Thursday night at Boston.
Montreal begins its season by playing three games in four nights and four matches over a six-day period. The team will begin its campaign without defenceman Jayden Struble, who has an upper-body injury and will be evaluated on a daily basis. But St. Louis said he’s not concerned with the extent of the injury.
The Canadiens are carrying seven defencemen to start the season and with everyone healthy it appeared that Justin Barron would be the odd man out against Toronto. But Struble’s injury means Barron probably will be paired with Arber Xhekaj.
The Canadiens’ goaltending situation has changed dramatically since last season, when St. Louis had the unenviable task of trying to juggle three players — Montembeault, Primeau and Jake Allen — all of whom wanted to play. That burden eased after Allen was traded to New Jersey last March.
While Montembault enters the season as the Canadiens’ clear starter, St. Louis said nothing’s carved in stone. Playing time will be dictated by performances and the situation could evolve.
“I feel like they gave us really good performances last year,” he said. “We felt very solid with the way both guys played. I think Sam the last two years separated himself a little bit. Can I say he’s going to be our No. 1 all season? I can’t say that. We’ll manage the schedule based on how they’re performing. Both goaltenders have progressed very well and I expect the same. But we’re not going to sit here and say Monty’s going to be our No. 1 all season. But I think he has an opportunity to do that.
“We’re very confident at that position based on what we’ve seen last year. If we can tighten things up in front of them, I think it’s going to be easier for them to keep progressing.”
Montembault, 27, played in 41 games last season, going 16-15-9 with a 3.14 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. Originally from Bécancour, he signed a three-year, US$9.45-million contract last December, adding to the pressure and expectations.
“We’re starting back-to-back against two of the best teams in the league,” Montembeault said. “Like all the guys, we’re excited to start.”
While Montembeault said he’d like to play at least 50 games this season, St. Louis is loath to project how the workload distribution will play out.
“If Sam plays 50 or 55 games, it’s probably because he’s done a really good job,” St. Louis said. “I’d love for him to play that. If that’s the case, he has progressed again.”
Primeau, meanwhile, is 25 and working on the final season of his three-year, US$2.67-million contract, making it a critical season for him. He also must realize there are plenty of good goalies in the Canadiens’ system champing at the bit.
Primeau has worked diligently on his angles and positioning. It could be argued he has been slow to develop, but nonetheless has progressed. In 23 games last season, Primeau had a 8-9-4 record, 2.99 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. He also recorded the Canadiens’ only two shutouts. Management certainly did him no favours. Of his 23 games, 14 were on the road.
“Last year there was uncertainty,” Primeau said on Tuesday. “Coming into this year, it feels good to have more stability. I’m going into it with the mindset of knowing there’s just two of us. I can really feed off that. I’m happy with my pre-season. I’m just taking it day-by-day.”