yardbarker
The Montreal Canadiens have summoned goaltender Jacob Fowler from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, the team announced. The recall appears to be a direct response to an injury sustained by Canadiens netminder Samuel Montembeault during practice earlier today.
According to RDS reporter Patrick Friolet, Montembeault left the ice with what looked like a leg injury. The Canadiens have not provided an official update on his condition, and head coach Martin St. Louis stated that Montembeault was still undergoing evaluation when the coach spoke with the media.
With the Canadiens set to host the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre tomorrow, Montembeault must be considered at least questionable for that contest. Consequently, the club needed to recall a goaltender to ensure two are available for the game.
Fowler's Role and Recent Performance
Fowler is widely regarded as Montreal's No. 3 goaltender and one of the top goalie prospects in hockey. The 21-year-old started last season as the Rocket's primary netminder, posting a 19-7-1 record and a .916 save percentage in 27 games.
After Montembeault struggled on the ice and lost his starting job to rookie Jakub Dobes, Fowler was recalled from Laval and finished the year as Dobes's clear backup. In 17 NHL games, Fowler went 9-6-2 with a .908 save percentage.
Entering this season, it was uncertain whether Montreal would keep Fowler in an NHL tandem with Dobes or give Montembeault another chance. Waiver rules made it much harder for the Canadiens to carry three goalies compared to last season. As a result, Montreal chose to keep Montembeault in the NHL as Dobes's backup and let Fowler develop in Laval with plenty of starts.
Now, with Montembeault sidelined, Fowler finds himself back in a tandem with Dobes. It is unclear how long Fowler will stay on the NHL roster, as the severity of Montembeault's injury has not been disclosed.
However, Fowler's strong performance in Laval's opening weekend—he stopped 52 of 55 shots for a .945 save percentage in two games against the Syracuse Crunch—likely gave Montreal confidence that he can step in and perform at the NHL level when needed.
It is worth noting that Fowler received the call-up over his Laval teammate Kaapo Kahkonen, a 30-year-old veteran with 140 NHL games and a $1MM salary.
While the sample size is small and the season is young, Dobes has performed well below the standard he set during the Canadiens' dramatic run to the Eastern Conference Final in last year's playoffs. Dobes was impressive in Montreal's season-opening win over the Toronto Maple Leafs but struggled in the next two games, both high-scoring losses.
If Montembeault misses more than a day or two, it would not be surprising to see Montreal give Fowler a start.
Originally reported by yardbarker.