The Montreal Canadiens just re-signed their arguably biggest restricted free agent in goalie Jakub Dobes. It’s a two-year, $1.93 million deal ($965,00 cap hit) for a goalie with a high ceiling who emerged as starter Sam Montembeault’s backup down the stretch.
Dobes got promoted from the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League last December following the demotion of Cayden Primeau, who has since been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. Dobes went 7-4-3 with a 2.74 goals-against average (GAA) and .909 save percentage (SV%), most notably shutting out the Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers in a 4-0 win in his debut on Dec. 28. He became the fourth Canadiens goalie to earn a shutout in his debut and the first since Yann Danis in 2005.
Related: Canadiens Owe Playoff Berth to Dobes but Not Rich Extension
Dobes eventually won his first five games and went unbeaten in regulation in his first six, earning an initial .933 SV% in those contests. When Montembeault suffered an injury in Game 3 against the Washington Capitals in Round 1 with the Canadiens down 2-0 in the series, Dobes came in, in relief, to secure the win to pull the Canadiens within one game. He unfortunately lost the two remaining contests in the series, going 1-2 with a 2.91 GAA and .881 SV%. It’s worth noting the Habs scored just three goals in those two games, making it hard to put the sole blame for the defeat on the 2020 fifth-round pick (No. 136 overall).
Dobes Solidifies Canadiens’ Goaltending
A Czech native and product of Ohio State University, Dobes graduated to professional hockey in 2023-24. Joining the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League, he went 24-18-6 in his first season, with a 2.93 GAA and .906 SV%. Before his promotion in 2024-25, Dobes had gone 9-3-1 with a 2.44 GAA and .910 SV%.
With Dobes inked, only one RFA remains for general manager Kent Hughes to re-sign: defenseman Jayden Struble, who filed for salary arbitration. Re-signing forward Emil Heineman had been on Hughes’ offseason to-do list, but he obviously went the other way to the New York Islanders in the Noah Dobson trade.
Upon signing Dobes to his new deal, Hughes can now focus on filling arguably the only hole remaining in the lineup, at centre on the second line. Goaltending is no longer a matter of concern, with Jacob Fowler, who’s widely regarded as a top goaltending prospect, having joined the Rocket down the stretch via Boston College. With Montembeault’s contract expiring in 2027, Fowler and Dobes are expected to compete to be the team’s long-term No. 1.
