The NHL has changed. Goalies don’t play in as many games as they used to. Few play back-to-back unless it’s late in the season, and so far, there is only one goalie who has played in 10 consecutive games.
Three goalies have 28 starts this season, and only one has a winning record and a Vezina-type season going, and that’s Connor Hellebuyck. Juuse Saros and Montembeault. As a matter of fact, the Canadiens’ goalie has only played 41 as his maximum, and even though there’s a temporary issue with the Canadiens’ goalie situation, it can’t go on like this.
I remember interviewing Andrew Raycroft after he played a lot of games in a row, and I asked him if that can wear on a goalie. He said no, but I didn’t believe him and nowadays, the way that teams and goalie coaches map out games for much of the season, that’s the reason why. It’s hard to stay sharp.
Before you know it, he will be playing in the Four Nations Tournament. What if Montembeault starts every game? It’s unlikely, but it could happen. Between that and the NHL season, he could play 60 games.
It’s not worth it to go down this road. Martin St. Louis has to play either Primeau or Jakub Dobes, but he’s only played in 65 games in his career. He’s back now but throwing him in a game to just give Montembeault a night off is ok, but if he’s going to play once in a while, as a backup, that’s not good for his development. He needs more reps.
I would suspect that the Canadiens will figure this out right away.