The brace he wore on his right wrist didn’t lie: Samuel Montembeault played injured for the last three months of the season.
Posted at 3:50 p.m.
The 25-year-old goalkeeper underwent surgery last Friday. He will have to undergo eight weeks of rehabilitation. If all goes according to plan, he should be back in top form at the next training camp.
It is unclear when exactly he was injured. On January 22, while Montembeault was enjoying a rest game after having faced more than 50 shots during his two previous starts, various media revealed that he suffered from a tendon injury in his right wrist, either side of his blocker, and that an operation might be necessary. However, the club has never confirmed this information, contenting itself with speaking of an “upper body” injury.
The principal concerned indicated a few days later that he had played despite the pain on January 20, against the Golden Knights of Vegas, but that he now felt “better and better”. He also quickly returned to the game, at a time when three of the five guards under contract with the Canadian were on the injured list.
However, it was obvious that something was amiss. In three appearances in net, from January 27-30, he allowed 11 goals on 27 shots, in what was his worst streak of the season. The team then enjoyed a week off, which was beneficial for their goalkeeper.
Claimed on waivers just before the start of the 2021-2022 campaign, Samuel Montembeault finally saw as much action as Jake Allen, as the latter suffered three injuries and Carey Price was limited to five games at the end of the month. of April.
The former Florida Panthers’ 30 starts was a career high, and he also recorded his first shutout Feb. 23 against the Buffalo Sabers. He also became, on November 20, 2021, the first Quebec goalkeeper since José Théodore, 15 years earlier, to win a game in a Habs uniform.
He finished the season with a record of 8 wins, 18 losses and 6 losses in overtime or shootout. His 3.74 goals-against-average and .891 save percentage were among the worst in the NHL among goaltenders who played at least 25 games. In his defense, he is also one of the goalkeepers who, game after game, faced the most dangerous shots at five on five, according to the advanced statistics site NaturalStatTrick.
The operation he underwent on Friday was to repair the sheath surrounding a tendon in his wrist. It was carried out successfully.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Samuel Montembeault
Coming
Even if Montembeault finds the form within the prescribed time, his future with the Canadian is not yet assured.
The club’s management, we learned, is not thrilled with the idea of starting the 2022-2023 season with an Allen-Montembeault tandem.
In two recent radio interviews, general manager Kent Hughes pointed out that none of his goaltenders had, during the last season, “shown that he was a number 1”. He also noted that his team had lacked “consistency” at this position, only stating that Jake Allen had “been very good at [l’équipe] between his two [principales] injuries”. He did not mention Montembeault.
Without a contract for next season, the native of Bécancour will become a restricted free agent next July. It will be eligible for arbitration. It is still necessary that the CH submits a qualifying offer by then. Considering the low salary he has pocketed over the past year, it would be a formality. According to the CapFriendly site, the offer should only be worth $787,500. If, however, the Canadian did not take advantage of this option, he would become an unrestricted free agent and could offer his services to all NHL teams.
However, it seems that, for the time being, the only concern in his case is his health. According to our information, his end-of-season interview with management mainly revolved around the condition of his wrist. Both parties wanted surgery to be performed as soon as possible so that his rehabilitation could begin quickly.
His status in Montreal remains dependent on the state of health of Carey Price. It is still unclear whether the star keeper will be able to play at the start of next season as his knee has not healed well following surgery 10 months ago.
If Price arrived at training camp healthy, Montembeault would become the club’s third goalkeeper, since Jake Allen is still under contract for one year. If the organization knows beyond a doubt that Price won’t play in 2022-23, then they could place him on the long-term injured reserve and take a pay break. It would then be possible for him to look for a replacement veteran to play with Allen or Montembeault, in the event that we do not keep both.
If, however, the uncertainty about Price persists, the Quebecer would then become a more attractive option, because it is inexpensive, and therefore easier to fit into a tight budget as possible.