Habs Mailbag: Goaltending controversy would be a good thing for Canadiens

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What are the chances of another Canadiens goaltending controversy this season? The rise of Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau last season occurred while they were sharing the net with Jake Allen. Do you think the two-goalie system will lead to a goalie controversy — Part Deux — if Primeau gets more chances?

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Scott Hinckley
Port Saint Lucie, Florida.

I think management would embrace a goalie controversy because it would mean that both Montembeault and Primeau are playing well. Montembeault will start the season as the No. 1 goalie, but management wants Primeau to push him. That being said, I don’t think the plan is for either of them to play more than 50-55 games. Primeau is entering the final season of his contract, earning $890,000 and will be very motivated to prove that he is a legitimate NHL goalie. Montembeault is entering the first season of his three-year, $9.45 million contract and will want to prove that he is a legitimate No. 1.

“We push each other,” Primeau said at the end of last season. “I’ve said it all year. We have a friendly competition, a friendly competitive spirit. We want each other to succeed. But at the end of the day, we both want the net. We both push each other and it’s a good camaraderie and relationship.”

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Do you expect Alex Burrows to continue starting on the power play next season?

Tony Martins

We’ll have to find out soon if Burrows will be running the power play again, or if he’ll be back with the Canadiens at all. His contract expired at the end of last season. The Canadiens also need to find a new head coach for the AHL’s Laval Rocket after Jean-François Houle left to become head coach at Clarkson University, his alma mater. There’s no salary cap for coaches, and I think it would be a good move for the Canadiens to bring in another coach as a power play specialist.

I know Montreal has one of the strongest prospects in the league, but I was curious who you think is a prospect that doesn’t get as much attention but could still surprise in a few years.

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Matthew Mazzalonga

Florian Nick Bobrov, the Canadiens’ co-director of amateur scouting, described Xhekaj as a “unicorn” after posting 13-12-25 totals and 76 penalty minutes in 78 games, along with a minus-17 differential two seasons ago with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs . Last season with the Bulldogs, who moved to Brantford, Xhekaj had 34-31-65 totals in 63 games to go along with 81 penalty minutes and a plus-17 differential. At 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Xhekaj could develop into a legitimate power forward for the Canadiens and would be a steal as a fourth-round pick. It will be interesting to see what he can do with the Rocket next season.

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While it’s unlikely that will happen, I thought it would be fun to see if Habs management would consider moving Lane Hutson up a notch. He could potentially be a top-six forward they need. I’ve been a Habs fan since the late 60s and I can’t recall them ever converting a defenseman to a forward. I believe the Leafs converted Wendel Clark, which worked out pretty well.

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