The Biggest Dilemma Facing Kent Hughes and the Canadiens Revealed

In the coming years, however, GM Kent Hughes could face an important puzzle regarding his goaltenders.

In October 2021, Marc Bergevin made one of his last decisions at the helm of the Canadiens by claiming goaltender Samuel Montembeault off waivers.

The native of Bécancour joined a team that was going through extremely difficult times, even going so far as to part ways with several members of the organization, including Marc Bergevin and Dominique Ducharme.

Then, Montembeault saw several key players leave the club a few months later, notably Tylor Toffoli, Ben Chiarot, Artturi Lehkonen, Jeff Petry, and Sean Monahan.

Nothing was working in Montreal, and the team was in full rebuild mode. Montreal even went on to hit the bottom of the NHL standings in 2021-22, and the organization ultimately drafted Juraj Slafkovsky with the first overall pick in the 2022 draft class.

Number 35 never gave up and continued to work hard in the crease. Over the years, Samuel Montembeault gained confidence, and his progression has been impressive. Today, the goaltender is the number one on his team and is playing with full confidence. He was very solid during the 2025 playoffs against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

At 28 years old, Montembeault could remain the trusted man in net for the Canadiens for several years. For example, the Stanley Cup champions triumphed two consecutive years with a goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, who is now 36 years old and still looks ready for a few more seasons.

It is therefore far from impossible to see the Canadiens' goaltender remain in net for many years, especially since he is not an overly athletic goalie and relies heavily on his technical game.

Furthermore, it's fair to believe that the goalie will have no desire to leave Montreal and is very happy to play in the city.

If Jakub Dobes continues to perform well and develops properly, Kent Hughes will face quite a puzzle regarding the future of Jacob Fowler, who was previously seen as the organization's go-to man in a few years.

At 20 years old, Fowler is a third-round pick, 69th overall, who is projected to have a bright future in the NHL. Next year, he will be with the Laval Rocket, but he will be knocking on the NHL's door quickly.

This is certainly a favorable situation for the Canadiens, but if all three perform well, it will be quite the dilemma for Kent Hughes.