The Montreal Canadiens may have just watched Samuel Montembeault increase his trade value at exactly the right time.
Montembeault entered training camp facing legitimate uncertainty about his future in Montreal. Then came Saturday night in Toronto. Facing the Maple Leafs in the Canadiens’ preseason opener, the 29-year-old stopped all 13 shots he faced before Kaapo Kahkonen replaced him midway through the game. Montreal ultimately won 4-1. It was only half of a preseason game, but for a goalie trying to re-establish himself after a difficult 2025-26 season, it was almost the perfect audition.
The timing is what makes this interesting.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli recently predicted Montembeault could be the first player traded during the 2026-27 season, while Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has made it clear that although Montreal can begin camp with three goalies, he does not want that arrangement when the regular season begins.
So did Montembeault’s perfect preseason appearance accelerate a potential Canadiens trade?
My read is that it didn’t create a market overnight, but it may have given Kent Hughes exactly the kind of performance he needed to start rebuilding Montreal’s leverage.
Why Samuel Montembeault’s Strong Start Matters for the Montreal Canadiens
One strong preseason appearance should never erase an entire season.
Montembeault went 10-8-4 with a 3.43 goals-against average and .872 save percentage in 25 games during 2025-26. Jakub Dobes eventually took over the No. 1 job and started all 19 of Montreal’s playoff games, while Jacob Fowler also moved ahead of Montembeault on the depth chart.
That context is important because it explains why Montreal was unable to simply demand a premium return during the offseason.
But goalie value can move quickly.
A team that had little reason to pay for Montembeault in July could suddenly have a very different opinion after an injury, a poor training camp from another goalie or uncertainty surrounding its tandem.
And Saturday provided something Montreal badly needed: positive tape.
Montembeault looked composed and tracked the puck well. Toronto had legitimate NHL talent in the lineup, and he left the game without allowing a goal. That does not suddenly transform his trade value, but it changes the conversation from, “Can he rebound?” to, “Is the rebound already beginning?”
That distinction matters.
Samuel Montembeault: The Rebound Test
Frank Seravalli’s Prediction Adds Pressure to the Canadiens Goalie Decision
This story became even more intriguing before Montembeault faced Toronto.
Seravalli said on the Jason Gregor Show that his money was on Montembeault being the first player traded this season. That is a prediction, not a report that Montreal has a trade completed or even close to completion, but it gives us an important indication of how closely the situation is being watched around the league.
The Canadiens also have a deadline of their own making.
Hughes has indicated that Montreal does not want to enter the regular season permanently carrying Montembeault, Dobes and Fowler together. Dobes has established himself as the current leader of the group, and Montreal committed to him with a new three-year extension that begins in 2027-28. Fowler, meanwhile, remains young, inexpensive and waiver exempt.
That makes Montembeault the logical name to watch.
But logical does not mean automatic.
Montreal still needs somebody willing to meet Hughes’ price.
What Is Samuel Montembeault Worth in an NHL Trade?
This is where I think Saturday’s performance matters most.
Montembeault’s value is not based solely on his .872 save percentage last season. A team acquiring him would also be getting an experienced NHL goaltender at a manageable $3.15 million cap hit, with only the 2026-27 season remaining before unrestricted free agency.
That contract reduces long-term risk for the acquiring club.
At the same time, Montreal cannot realistically value him as if last season never happened. The Canadiens need a market to develop, and the quickest way for that to happen is for Montembeault to keep stacking good appearances while another club develops a more urgent need in goal.
NHLTradeRumor.com Trade Value Index
Samuel MontembeaultMethodology note: The NHLTradeRumor.com Trade Value Index is an original editorial model, not an NHL team valuation or report of an actual trade offer. It weighs contract efficiency, positional demand, NHL track record, recent performance, age/control and the selling team’s leverage.
My personal expectation would be for Hughes to wait rather than accept a low return simply to solve the roster problem. Goaltending markets are extremely sensitive to injuries. One bad week elsewhere can create a buyer that did not exist seven days earlier.
That is why every Montembeault appearance between now and opening night matters.
How a Samuel Montembeault Trade Would Affect the Canadiens Salary Cap
The Canadiens do not need to trade Montembeault simply to become cap compliant.
Montreal has approximately $2.78 million in projected 2026-27 cap space with Montembeault, Dobes and Fowler all counted on the NHL roster. Together, those three goalies account for approximately $5.06 million against the cap this season.
Montembeault represents $3.15 million of that figure.
If Montreal traded him without retaining salary and received no NHL salary back, its projected cap room would theoretically rise to approximately $5.8 million before filling the vacated roster spot.
That flexibility could become meaningful later in the season.
Canadiens Salary-Cap Trade Calculator
This is another reason I would not view a Montembeault trade as a salary dump.
Montreal already possesses flexibility. The purpose of moving him would primarily be roster optimization and asset management: clarify the crease, give Dobes and Fowler defined roles, turn an expiring contract into another asset and preserve additional space that Hughes could potentially use elsewhere.
Did Montembeault’s Perfect Audition Actually Change the Trade Market?
Not by itself.
Thirteen saves in September are not enough to rewrite a player evaluation formed over hundreds of NHL appearances.
But NHL trades are rarely driven by one variable.
Montembeault has experience. He has previously demonstrated that he can handle a significant workload. His contract is affordable for an NHL goalie. There is only one year remaining, limiting risk for an acquiring team. And now his first meaningful appearance of camp gave scouts something positive to evaluate.
That combination makes the next few weeks worth watching.
What I noticed most against Toronto was not simply the zero beside Montembeault’s name. It was that there was very little chaos to his game. After a season in which confidence and consistency appeared to become issues, looking settled is exactly what Montreal needed to see.
The Canadiens should not trade him merely because the depth chart is crowded.
They should trade him if the market finally reaches a point where the return is more valuable to the organization than keeping him as insurance.
And if Montembeault continues to perform like he did against Toronto, Kent Hughes’ negotiating position should only improve.
That is why Saturday night mattered.
It wasn’t proof that Samuel Montembeault will be traded tomorrow.
It may have been the first step toward making a trade considerably easier to complete.
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