Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault: a rare fight in front of the Canadian net

The Canadian will launch the activities of its 2023-2024 season by holding its traditional golf tournament on Monday. This will be followed by rookie camp, a portion of which will be held in Buffalo, and then the real training camp. Reconstruction will continue this season. Nevertheless, there will be some very noticeable stakes when the players relate to Martin St-Louis. Over the next few days, The newspaper will introduce you to the main ones.

It’s been ages since that’s been seen in Montreal, but we could be in for a fight for the number one goaltender position.

• Read also: Montreal Canadiens: Is this the beginning of the end for Jake Allen?

• Read also: Canadian goaltenders: Will Kent Hughes stay stuck with Casey DeSmith?

• Read also: Jake Allen would have obtained the confirmation of the CH

Jake Allen had some trouble last year. For the first time in his career, he posted a save percentage below .900 (.891) in addition to maintaining a goals-against average of 3.55, his worst since joining the NHL in 2012-2013 .

Moreover, at 33, he enters the period when the body of masked men begins to be a little mortgaged. The knees and hips have lived.

Last year, it was mainly an injury to the right hand that kept him out of action (eight games in January). However, the previous winter, he missed more than 30 games due to lower body injuries. It could come back to haunt him.

Meanwhile, Samuel Montembeault has taken advantage of every opportunity given to him to progress. Last winter, the 26-year-old Bécancourois set personal bests for the number of appearances in net (40), posting a record just short of .500 (16-19-0).

In doing so, he broke the 10-game mark and maintained a save percentage above .900 (.901) for the first time in his career. If he pursues this tangent, Montembeault will certainly be able to add a few additional millions, starting next year, to the one he will receive this year.

Whether he would be able to handle the pressure that comes with the official number one badge remains to be seen.

A future for Primeau?

We recently talked about it, but the acquisition of Casey DeSmith may have to force Kent Hughes to bring out his juggling skills. If Hughes is unable to transfer the American’s services to another team, he may choose to start the season with three goaltenders.

Once the season is in motion, he will manage to find a buyer when a team finds itself in trouble due to an injury or by realizing that one of its goalkeepers is unable to do the job.

Except that by then, the general manager of the Canadiens will have to send an attacker or a defender more to Laval to comply with the limit of 23 players.

Which brings us to Cayden Primeau. Barring a disaster or a major unforeseen event, he will begin his fifth season in the American League.

At 24, he still has time to develop. However, even in Rocket uniform, he displayed a disturbing instability. Its strong end to the season allowed the Rocket to narrowly qualify for the playoffs. However, it took him the first months of the season to find his bearings.

Moreover, before long both the Canadian and Primeau will have to wonder if there is a future for him in Montreal. Jakub Dobes, the 6-foot, 4-inch Czech, will make his professional debut after a smoking hot two seasons for the NCAA Ohio State Buckeyes.

Choice of 5^e turn of the Canadian in 2020, he could quickly climb the hierarchy of goalkeepers in the organization, leaving Primeau on his appetite.

All the more reason for Primeau to get out of the starting blocks in force. And it will start at training camp.