The backup goalie market in the NHL is always a carousel, and the Philadelphia Flyers may find themselves interested in the latest name to hitch a ride on it.
This year’s free agent class at the goalie position is actually quite poor, with Stuart Skinner being the clear best option and Connor Ingram, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Daniil Tarasov right behind him.
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But, with backup goalie Sam Ersson’s performances only worsening over time, and after three consecutive seasons at or below a .890 save percentage, the Flyers can’t afford to run it back with him anymore.
The trade market is a natural, but slightly less affordable, alternative to free agency, and the Flyers would be wise to look for some deals and take advantage of other teams’ situations.
One such example of this is the Montreal Canadiens, who saw incumbent starter Sam Montembeault cede his role to breakout star Jakub Dobes, then lose a lineup spot altogether to top prospect Jacob Fowler.
Montembeault, 29, stumbled to a 10-8-4 record, a 3.43 GAA, and .872 save percentage this season, with the latter comfortably being a career-worst mark.
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So, while Montembeault wasn’t much better than Ersson and his 14-11-5 record, 3.12 GAA, and .870 save percentage this past season, he does have a track record of being a productive rotational goalie.
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In his three previous seasons with the Canadiens, Montembeault was 63-58-19 with a 3.08 GAA and .902 save percentage.
Unspectacular, to be clear, but an upgrade on Ersson’s 65-50-17 career record, 3.01 GAA, and .884 save percentage.
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Even if he is just an average goalie, Montembeault would be a serviceable stopgap to play low-pressure minutes behind starting Flyers goalie Dan Vladar in a less volatile media market.
The 6-foot-3 netminder can handle starting duties adequately if called upon, as evidenced by his 2024-25 campaign with the Canadiens, and he would certainly benefit from a change of scenery after the way this past year went.
Plus, according to The Athletic NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, Montembeault “won’t play another game for the Canadiens.”
That relationship is over, and there isn’t really a path back to the Canadiens with better, younger options like Dobes and Fowler earning their keep.
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If the Flyers can take advantage of the Canadiens’ lack of leverage and pry Montembeault out of Montreal at a low cost, it would only continue the trend of the organization making smart, buy-low moves on proven NHLers.
Montembeault has one year remaining on his contract at a $3.15 million cap hit.
