The Edmonton Oilers weren’t necessarily a team that needed to go shopping for another goaltender this summer. Frederik Andersen was supposed to provide veteran stability, Tristan Jarry was already under contract, and Devon Levi gave Edmonton another intriguing option.
Then Andersen got hurt.
The Oilers have confirmed that the 36-year-old will miss training camp while rehabilitating an injury suffered during offseason training, and suddenly the Edmonton crease looks considerably less settled. That’s where Samuel Montembeault and the Montreal Canadiens enter the conversation. Edmonton hasn’t been reported to be negotiating with Montreal, but Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette believes the NHL goalie market could begin moving, while Karine Haines of The Hockey News specifically wondered whether Andersen’s injury creates an opening for a Montembeault trade.
For me, that’s what makes this rumor worth watching.
This isn’t about declaring that Montembeault is headed to Edmonton. It’s about two teams suddenly having problems that could potentially solve each other.
Why Samuel Montembeault Suddenly Makes Sense for the Edmonton Oilers
Montembeault is coming off a difficult season, and there’s no reason to hide that.
The 29-year-old finished 2025-26 with a 10-8-4 record, 3.43 goals-against average and .872 save percentage in 25 appearances. Jakub Dobes, meanwhile, appeared in 43 games and posted a .901 save percentage, while Jacob Fowler recorded a .908 save percentage in 17 appearances.
That creates a fascinating situation in Montreal.
Montembeault isn’t suddenly incapable of playing NHL goal. Just one year earlier, he appeared in 62 games and went 31-24-7 with a .902 save percentage. His value is consequently somewhere between his impressive 2024-25 workload and his disappointing 2025-26 season.
That’s exactly the type of player I could see a contender taking a calculated chance on.
Edmonton doesn’t need Montembeault to become an elite No. 1. It needs insurance.
Andersen is 36. Jarry carries a significant $5.375 million cap hit, while Levi remains only 24. PuckPedia currently lists Edmonton’s goaltending group as Jarry, Andersen and Levi, so acquiring another goalie would require another roster decision rather than simply adding Montembeault to the pile.
That is an important part of this rumor that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Canadiens’ Three-Goalie Logjam Changes the Trade Math
Montreal has its own decision coming.
PuckPedia currently lists Montembeault, Dobes and Fowler on the Canadiens’ goaltending depth chart. Dobes carries a $965,000 cap hit this season and Fowler just $945,833, compared with Montembeault’s $3.15 million.
If Montreal’s future really is Dobes and Fowler, carrying all three indefinitely doesn’t make much sense.
Montembeault’s contract is also important because this is the final season of his three-year deal. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2027, which reduces the risk for Edmonton but also prevents Montreal from demanding the type of return normally attached to a goalie with several years of team control.
The Salary Cap Is Where an Oilers-Canadiens Trade Gets Complicated
According to PuckPedia, Edmonton currently projects to have approximately $1.93 million in cap space against the $104 million ceiling. Montembeault carries a $3.15 million cap hit, meaning Edmonton couldn’t simply absorb his entire contract with its current projection.
Here’s my cap calculation based on those current figures:
That is why I think salary retention would become the central part of any serious conversation.
Montreal has nearly $9.8 million in projected space, giving Kent Hughes plenty of flexibility, although retained-salary slots and the return Edmonton is willing to offer would ultimately determine whether retaining money makes sense.
NHLTradeRumor.com Samuel Montembeault Trade Value Index
My trade-value model puts Montembeault in an unusual position: his contract is manageable, his previous NHL workload matters, but the .872 save percentage and expiring contract significantly reduce Montreal’s leverage.
Important: That 71/100 score is my own editorial trade-value model, not an NHL or team metric.
My Read on Whether Edmonton Actually Makes the Move
Here’s where I’d pump the brakes slightly.
Bowman said earlier this month that Edmonton already had three goalies and suggested another forward was more likely to be the team’s next addition. More recently, even after Andersen’s injury, Bowman publicly insisted Edmonton isn’t panicking.
That matters.
This isn’t a situation where the Oilers are desperate today.
But circumstances change quickly around NHL training camps.
If Andersen’s recovery takes longer than expected, if Levi isn’t ready for the workload, or if Montreal decides Fowler and Dobes are definitively its tandem, Montembeault becomes considerably more interesting.
And Edmonton should be interested in the price.
A Stanley Cup contender built around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl cannot afford to lose meaningful points in October because it lacked goaltending depth. Montembeault wouldn’t be a blockbuster acquisition, but sometimes the smartest deadline and preseason trades are the ones designed to prevent a weakness from becoming a crisis.
For Montreal, the calculation is equally straightforward: if Montembeault isn’t part of the long-term plan, this could be the moment when an injury elsewhere creates leverage that wasn’t available a few weeks ago.
That’s why this is one Samuel Montembeault trade rumor worth keeping an eye on.
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