Fantasy Hockey Spotlight: Montreal Canadiens Goaltenders Including Carey Price, Ken Dryden and Sam Montembeault

It has been a wild 24 hours for Montreal Canadiens fans, specifically involving their goaltending situation and history. The Habs have lost a legend, traded away a franchise goalie (or his contract, anyways), and have another who is poised to become a top-five goaltender in the league.

Ups and downs, coupled with high-running emotions in Montreal, have everyone talking, so we are going to join in the discussion and break down these careers, as well as what the crease looks like for the young talented up and coming Canadiens from a fantasy point of view.

Let's dive right in, shall we?

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Canadiens and Sharks Trade

To the Montreal Canadiens: Gannon Laroque

To the San Jose Sharks: Carey Price (contract), Fifth-round draft pick (2026)

Laroque is a right handed defenseman who has yet to play an NHL game and is a 2021 fourth-round draft pick by the Sharks. Nothing noteworthy here.

Price has not played in the league since 2021 but has an impressive career resume, which we will get into, winning 361 of his 721 games played. He also had a career total of 1,755 goals against, a 2.51 goals against average, and an impressive .917 save percentage.

Struggling Legend Contract Moved

Price was arguably one of the greatest goaltenders of our generation, and nobody has looked as good since his emergence into the league in 2008.

Fans and fantasy players alike have been waiting and hoping for his return each year. In 2021, Price had knee surgery, and shortly after, he entered the NHL Player Assistance Program for substance abuse, stating that for years he had neglected his own mental health. 

His knee surgery recovery also had several setbacks. Although he did return for a very short stint in 2022, which saw him win only one game in five starts, he decided to step away again for the summer and re-evaluate his situation.

Year after year, he was slated not to return, and although he still has an active contract and has not formally retired, I think we can all see the writing on the wall. Price was a legendary goalie, and nobody can take that from him, however I am sad that he did not announce his retirement with the Canadiens, and we've now seen this contract moved as a bargaining chip with another franchise, the San Jose Sharks.

Some quick last notes on Price's career are his accolades. He never won a Stanley Cup, however he did collect several trophies, including (surprisingly only one) Vezina Trophy, a Hart Memorial Trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, a William M. Jennings Trophy (all in 2015), and more recently, a Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2022.

Another Legend Passes

Ken Dryden, on the other hand, is arguably one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. A day after Price was moved to the Sharks, Dryden passed away at the age of 78 after battling cancer.

Although his career in the NHL was relatively short for today's standards, only lasting eight seasons - and all with the Canadiens - he won a staggering six Stanley Cups. Dryden was a Montreal legend and franchise cornerstone of the 1970s.

Dryden also won the Vezina Trophy five times, as well as the Conn Smythe Trophy and Calder Memorial Trophy, and was named in 2017 as one of the NHL's 100 Greatest Players.

Dryden won 258 of his 397 games played and had a career total 46 shutouts, with a goals against average of 2.24 and a save percentage of .922.

A true legend of the game, he reached the pinnacle of hockey six times over in eight years was absolutely worth noting in today's article, as I know Canadiens fans are feeling after the the news of both Price and Dryden's departures.

But It's Not All Bad

Let's shift and talk about hope, and the future. Selected for the Four Nations Face-Off and carrying the Canadiens through the trenches last season, goaltender Sam Montembeault is the now and the future for the blue paint in Montreal.

Montembeault had 31 wins in 60 starts as their starting goaltender. He also had a save percentage of .902, a 2.82 goals against average, and four shutouts.

While on the surface these may not be elite numbers, Montembeault has quietly been getting better and better each year he plays, while simultaneously taking on more workload.

If you're looking to stack starts, he's definitely a good option. Last year was considered his breakout season, and in most leagues, he went undrafted, but that's likely the last season that's going to happen for some time. I would keep an eye on this gem, who is now backed by a very young and talented team.

The Canadiens have the youngest top powerplay unit in the league, which now includes the likes of: Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson. Let's also not forget the addition of defenseman Noah Dobson.

In the backup role this year will be Jakub Dobes, who will be in his second season with the Canadiens and the NHL. He had pretty decent numbers considering his age and experience. With the small sample size we have, Dobes looks to be everything the Canadiens need in a young backup goaltender.

Dobes had seven wins in 15 starts as a backup goaltender. He also had a .909 save percentage, 2.74 goals against average, and one shutout.

Conclusion

While the Canadiens may have lost two legends off the ice, there are two up and coming young bucks who will help them on the ice. Again, the Canadiens have a lethal and young talented squad who are nearing the end of their rebuilding phase and are full steam ahead to their contender phase. All of their new core have a year more experience under their belt, while having bolstered positions up front and on the blue line in Demidov and Dobson, respectively.

Things are looking up in Montreal. Très bien to their efforts in getting the slumping club back into playing meaningful games in the postseason. I would look to see a breakout season for this roster and would hedge some bets on their stars taking a step forward.

A last note and question for the audience is what is to come of Patrik Laine, who warmed the bench at the end of their season last year, and was in head coach Martin St. Louis' doghouse. Laine is a streaky player who is now really only looked at as a powerplay specialist, and although he is on my “do not draft” list again because of his being injury prone and getting benched, I am secretly still cheering for his success as a player and growth as a person.