Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes has had a heck of a season. His save percentage in 10 NHL games is .909. He went on a roll, and then it leveled out. It happens. But there was a spark there. After this season, he’s an RFA, so what will the team decide to do with him?
I expect Jacob Fowler to turn pro after his season ends. So next season, he probably gets some AHL games, but at some point, he will be the Canadiens’ backup, and that’s the tricky part for Dobes.
The Canadiens aren’t going to carry three goalies. Most teams don’t want to do that for obvious reasons. Dobes probably doesn’t want to play in the AHL full-time for much longer so this contract will matter. There’s a skill to this from the agent’s perspective to serve the player and the team. The team won’t want to give him a one-year deal and walk him to unrestricted free agency. Goaltenders are assets and he is a partially proven one at that.
I would give Dobes a three-year deal. The Canadiens need him for at least one of them and possibly two while Fowler develops. They would set a price for him too which would make it easier to trade him down the road if they hold on to Montembeault which seems likely at this point in time but that could change.
There will be some RFA trades at the 2025 NHL Draft. Will Dobes be one of them? I don’t think so but I’ll keep an eye on it.
