Welcome back to another edition of NHL Rumours from the crew at Last Word on Hockey. It’s trade deadline day, and the rumours are swirling with teams looking to put the finishing touches on their rosters to make a run at Lord Stanley’s Cup. While other teams are looking to sell off their assets for picks and prospects for the future. One team looking to improve is the Montreal Canadiens. And a big area they want to improve in is between the pipes. This edition of NHL Rumours focuses on just that.

All NHL Rumours come from their original source and are subject to change.

NHL Rumours: Canadiens Shopping Veteran Netminder

Rumour: According to David Pagnotta, the Canadiens have placed Samual Montembeault on the trade market.

More notes, before we go live on @DailyFaceoff:
– #TexasHockey exploring adding another F
– Price on #stlblues Faulk has to drop if he moves
– #AllCaps not done dealing
– #Preds Haula market softening atm
– #SJSharks lurking for winger & top-4 D
– #GoHabsGo Montembeault in play

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 6, 2026

Analysis: While this kind of goes against what was reported last month, as the Canadiens felt there was no one on the market better than what they had. This begs the question is they’re looking at swapping Montembeault for another proven goaltender, such as Sergei Bobrovsky, whose name has been in the rumour mill as of late. Or potentially Jordan Binnington? Or are they just looking to move out Montembeault and bring up young netminder Jacob Fowler, who was very sharp in his first stint with the club.

Our guess would be the former, as the Canadiens surely don’t want to enter the playoffs relying on Jakub Dobes and Fowler as their tandem. While both goaltenders are strong options, it would be foolish of the Canadiens to throw them into the fire like that, without giving Fowler a full season with the club. Their best bet from a development standpoint is to allow Fowler to stick with Laval for the rest of this season and try to win the Calder Trophy in the AHL, and acquire a proven, veteran number one netminder who could potentially bring the Canadiens on a deeper run this postseason.

Whose Available?

Sergei Bobrovsky is the name that stands out the most for the Canadiens. The Canadiens have said that they don’t want to get into the rental market and would rather have someone who can grow with their team; however, when they’re sitting with a goaltender as talented as Fowler, they’re really just looking for a stopgap for now. Bobrovsky would be exactly that. Despite his contract ending at the end of the current season, Bobrovsky is 37 years old, and while his numbers aren’t as strong as in previous years, neither is his team. He could lock into a short-term deal with the Canadiens after this season, buying some more time for Fowler to develop while forming a strong tandem with Dobes in the short term.

Jordan Binnington has also been a name swirling around the market. Binnington is an interesting option as well. His cap hit is much less than Bobrovsky’s sitting at just $6 million per year as opposed to $10 million. He also has an extra year left on his deal. This would be something the Canadiens might be more interested in, given it buys them an extra year without having to deal with any contract talks and if they feel Fowler is ready next season, they have the option to move Binnington themselves.

Binnington, much like Bobrovsky, hasn’t had strong numbers, but again, neither has his team. Hence why both these netminders are available. However, both have a Stanley Cup pedigree and would certainly be an upgrade for the Canadiens.

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