For Samuel Montembeault, last season ended in pain… but the summer begins in happiness.
Posted at 12:27 p.m.
Updated at 12:34 p.m.
First, because the 25-year-old goaltender is recovering from his right wrist injury, and he will be well and truly ready when the Canadian camp opens in September.
Then, because he is going to appear in Brossard with a new two-year contract in his pocket, with only one component, at a salary of one million dollars per season.
For an often reservist goalkeeper, who has always had to deal with a certain precariousness, it is a Christmas present before the time.
“I started by receiving the qualifying offer from the Canadian, and after that, I think that on both sides, we wanted to settle it as quickly as possible, he explained Tuesday morning, during a video conference. I received my qualifying offer a bit at the last minute, but it went really well afterwards during the negotiations. »
Of course, no one is able to predict the future, and that includes Montembeault himself, who will show up at the club’s camp in two months without really knowing where he is in the goalkeeping charts.
After all, there is a veteran in front of him, Jake Allen, who has one year left on his contract, and there will (perhaps) be another in the person of Carey Price.
In Price’s case, of course, it’s much more complicated, a bit like trying to predict the numbers in a lottery. The Quebec goalkeeper, he did not really address the issue with his bosses, who are also swimming in mystery.
“Nobody really knows what to expect with Carey by the end of the summer, he replied. For my part, I have to prepare myself, and arrive at camp with the idea of being part of the team, regardless of whether there are two or three goalkeepers. It’s not going to change anything in my preparation, I just have to work hard this summer. »
“As far as the contract is concerned, two years brings stability; it’s the first time since I’ve been playing in the professional ranks that I receive a two-year contract. It’s going to be good to be able to focus on my training next season, because it’s always an extra source of stress when you don’t know what to expect. »
So there’s all that, happiness, peace of mind to start the next season (“I’ll maybe avoid two months in a hotel unlike last season!”), and in the end, an optimism renewed in relation to his state of health.
It should be remembered here that Samuel Montembeault has nevertheless come a long way: wrist injury suffered in January in Chicago during a collision with teammate Mike Hoffman, then doubts, then an operation postponed to May. First not to let the team down, but also not to miss his own chance, he who had never played so many games (38, in the end) since his arrival in the NHL during the 2018 season- 19.
Which leads him to this new contract and also to this new opportunity. He resumed training in the gymnasium, and on Thursday he will jump on the ice. If all goes well, he will pick up the pace next week on the ice at the Sports Rousseau Center of Excellence in Boisbriand, along with goaltending coach Marco Marciano.
“It’s going really well with the wrist, there is just one last movement that remains a little more difficult to perform, he added. But otherwise, the wrist is moving really well, and I got the green light to start training again. I will be ready for camp […] There is no more pain, it’s just an upward movement which is a little more difficult. But we will work on it! »