The Montreal Canadiens have announced they have signed goaltender Sam Montembeault to a three-year contract extension.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with goaltender Samuel Montembeault.
Read ↓ #GoHabsGo https://t.co/ZzoiZqlLYy
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 1, 2023
The deal is worth $9.45 million that carries a salary cap hit of $3.15 million a season. There are no trade restrictions in the deal.
NHL Rumors: Market Will Determine What Canadiens Do With Their Goalies
There had been reports of the Canadiens looking to extend Sam Montembeault long term. Montreal feels he is the future of the organization. However, he was not worried about contract talks. He was hoping for one, but Montembault was going to let things work themselves out. He was going to let his play speak.
“I just want to focus on my game and that will take care of itself after. But it would obviously take some pressure off if (the contract) was done. I try not to think about it.” – Sam Montembeault to me last week in San Jose on the swirling trade rumours. https://t.co/0f4BSItj7S
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) December 1, 2023
As previously mentioned, it is worth noting, that Montembeault’s new deal does not carry any trade restrictions. The Canadiens continue to play the market game when it comes to their three goalies of Jake Allen, Cayden Primeau, and Montembeault, a team that needs a goalie for the future and has the cap space could acquire Montembeault down the line.
NHL Rumors: Teams Are Starting To Begin The Process of Adding Pieces
However, the most likely scenario is that Jake Allen is traded from Montreal to allow Primeau to backup this year and next.
In 10 games with the Canadiens this season, Montembeault has a record of 5-3-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. And he has been excellent for the Canadiens over the past two seasons.
Sam Montembeault, signed to a 4x$3.15M extension by MTL, is a goalie who’s done some good goalieing in the past two seasons. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/7Pz7xAKaxM
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 1, 2023
Montembeault was originally selected in the third round, 77th overall by the Florida Panthers in 2015. He was then claimed by the Canadiens off of waivers on October 2, 2021.
In 113 career NHL between the two clubs, he has a record of 38-48-13 with 3.42 goals against average and .897 save percentage including one shutout. That shutout came on February 23rd, 2022 against the Buffalo Sabres.