Montreal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault left the team's practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Wednesday after appearing to injure his right leg, prompting the club to recall prospect Jacob Fowler from the AHL's Laval Rocket the same day. The 29-year-old went down attempting to make a save and had to be helped off the ice, just as he appeared poised to finally get his first start of the 2026-27 season.
What happened at Habs practice
During the team's practice on Wednesday, goaltender Samuel Montembeault appeared to have hurt his right leg while participating in a drill, awkwardly twisting it while attempting to make a save on a rebound. Montembeault went down attempting to make a save early in his team's practice session and struggled to get up before skating gingerly to the bench and heading down the runway to the dressing room.
The goaltender appeared to be in significant discomfort having gone down on a routine play that did not involve contact with another player. Teammate Alexandre Carrier tried to downplay the scare afterward; when asked about his teammate's injury, the defenceman didn't seem too concerned and quipped that Montembeault simply took a puck to his «family jewels».
Fowler called up from Laval
The Canadiens recalled goaltender Jacob Fowler from the Laval Rocket after Samuel Montembeault appeared to suffer an injury at practice. While it is possible the move was done as a precaution given the Rocket don't play until Saturday, recalling him the same day as the injury likely means Montembeault is considered out in the short term if not longer, with further updates expected on Thursday.
Who is Jacob Fowler
Fowler is Montreal's undisputed organizational No. 3 goalie and one of the top goalie prospects in hockey, having begun last season as the No. 1 goalie for the Rocket with a 19-7-1 record and .916 save percentage in 27 games. Fowler played both games in a back-to-back last weekend against the Syracuse Crunch, going 1-1 with a 1.53 goals-against average and .945 save percentage.
Coach's response
The Canadiens did not issue an official update on the goalie's status, and head coach Martin St-Louis said that Montembeault was still being evaluated when he was made available to the media. The CBS Sports injury report listed the injury as undisclosed with a day-to-day status.
A frustrating comeback story
The timing stings for Montembeault, who has been fighting to reclaim a regular role for the Montreal Canadiens after a difficult campaign. His 3.43 GAA and .872 save percentage last season essentially forced St-Louis and the Canadiens to heavily rely on Dobes down the stretch. The Canadiens spent the summer trying to trade Samuel Montembeault but didn't succeed, and since he had a strong training camp, he was expected to make the team.
Montembeault hasn't been the same since suffering a groin injury during Montreal's playoff series against the Washington Capitals last spring. He later explained that he had torn two of the three muscles in his groin during that series, an injury that cut his 2025 postseason short. It's worth remembering that 18 months ago, he suffered a major injury to that very same leg.
Despite the trade speculation, Montembeault won his roster spot out of camp. In some ways, he may have put the rumours to rest with his strong preseason play to earn himself a job behind Jakub Dobes. Before Wednesday's scare, he hadn't played yet this season, with Dobes starting all three games, and Dobes had given up five goals in each of Montreal's last two losses.
What comes next for Montreal
The team announced that they had recalled goalie Jacob Fowler, indicating that Montembeault will not dress at least for the team's game against the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. That means Dobes is expected to start again in the early stretch of the NHL season, with the crease picture in Montreal suddenly cloudier than anyone anticipated a day earlier.
The Canadiens' early-season goaltending drama adds another storyline to a league already full of them in the opening weeks, from roster shake-ups on other Canadian clubs to marquee matchups like the one previewed in this look at the league's reigning contenders on opening night. For Habs fans, the hope now is that Montembeault's latest leg scare proves far less serious than the one that ended his 2025 playoff run.
Montreal hosts Nashville on Thursday and welcomes the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, two games that will reveal plenty about how the Canadiens manage their crease while Montembeault's evaluation continues.