“I think Samuel Montembeault is guaranteed to be at the next Olympics”

Dose
Crédit: Sam Montembeault looks on during Team Canada practice at Bell Centre.

Team Canada has released the list of 42 players invited to the August 26-28 orientation camp, which will be used to evaluate players who could potentially make the roster for this winter’s Olympic Games, which will also mark the return of NHL players for the first time since 2012. Among them are three Canadiens players: Nick Suzuki, Noah Dobson and Samuel Montembeault.

In the case of the Québécois goalkeeper, it’s quite logical, as he’s part of the same line-up of guest goalkeepers that took part in the 4 Nations Confrontation. Since Canada only invited three goalkeepers, we have a good idea of who would be making the trip to Milan with Team Canada.

The question is what role Montembeault will play, having had to settle for third-choice at the 4 Nations when Jordan Binnington got all the starts with Adin Hill as his assistant. While the Canadiens’ goaltender’s place is almost assured, it’s far less likely that he’ll get any playing time. For Suzuki, who would love to defend Canada’s colors, the competition could be fiercer with 26 forwards at orientation camp, many of whom could play center.

However, the Habs captain has shown that he can play as well on the defensive end as he can on the offensive, and I think he’d be a perfect candidate to pivot Canada’s second or third line. What’s more, his 89 points last season still put him in sixth place among Canadian forwards. The most uncertain case for the upcoming Olympics is Dobson, who will be battling with 12 other defensemen for a spot on the blue line.

On the other hand, although Canada boasts a number of quality defensemen, if the Habs’ defenseman has a season similar to that of 2023-24, when he scored 70 points in 79 games, he could well cause a surprise. Moreover, in the case of all three players, the coming season will also have a bearing on their potential selection with Team Canada, since officials have until December to choose the final roster.

Spacer title=’En rafale’] – Game night!

– Good crowd.

– A solid performance.

– Lacked maturity.

– She’s defending well.