Samuel Montembeault’s selection to Team Canada for the Four Nations Face Off sparks debate (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
A lot of ink has already been spilled on the latest roster reveals for the upcoming Four Nations Face Off.
Most notably, Team Canada, which went with a more balanced, strategic approach to their roster; basing themselves heavily on the last four Stanley Cup-winning rosters.
Unlike Team USA, which boasts three Vezina-level goaltenders on their roster; Team Canada had a wide-open competition for the three spots on their club.
Ultimately those spots were awarded to Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill and Samuel Montembeault.
Montembeault was the only selection from the province of Quebec to make the roster this go around.
However, the roster hasn’t been set for more than a few hours, and calls of politics have already been made regarding his inclusion on the roster.
In an interview with the Edmonton Journal, NHL insider John Shannon believes that the Montreal Canadiens goaltender’s inclusion was done for purely political purposes, to appease a growing level of discontent from Hockey Quebec officials.
This is ironic, considering the Edmonton Oilers, among many others, were interested in acquiring Samuel Montembeault last season, amid their goaltending issues.
Not just that, but NHL personalities were actively pushing for it to happen, as the need for dependable goaltending was at an all-time high last season.
Team Canada Dynamic
To simply look at save percentage and goals against without assessing the entire body of work is a little short-sighted by some analyst.
Montembeault has played behind the youngest NHL defensive corps for the last three seasons, and despite that, has routinely been at the top of the league for goals saved above expected.
One source close to Hockey Canada on the subject said this:
“If this kid was from Ontario, he’d still be on the team. To watch people dissect this on the basis of politics is deflating for Hockey and for that young man,” said the source to RG. “There’s a reason Team Canada invited him to the World Championships in 2023. And what happened? Oh yeah, he won a gold medal.”
It's no secret that Hockey Canada uses the World Championships as an opportunity to assess their crop of players; and refusing to participate in the tournament, especially multiple times, can play against you.
“Montembeault has been on their radar for a while now and anybody paying attention to the steals he’s made in Montreal over the last two seasons would tell you,” said the source.
“His competition was Logan Thompson and 37-year-old Cam Talbot. Put Montembeault on those rosters and see his stats shoot up.”
No Politics Involved
So, when Shannon or other journalists in the field hint that Montembeault’s pick was made to appease certain members of the hockey community, it seems detrimental to the significant growth in Montembeault’s play.
“(Laughs) I even saw people online blaming Montembeault for being the reason Montreal didn’t finish low enough in the last few years; because he stole them too many points,” said the source. “And they’re right, Montembeault has outright stolen games during stretches that Montreal had no business playing in. To be able to survive in that pressure-cooker of a market is something in itself.”
And those fans aren’t entirely wrong. Montembeault has stolen over 16 points over the last two-and-a-half seasons (almost 10% of the Canadiens 165 points collected since the start of the 2022-2023 season).
However, it is a reality that there’s a significant issue with Hockey Quebec’s ability to produce elite talent. Yes, they may win out at the Memorial Cup more than their OHL and WHL counterparts; but, when it comes to producing NHL stars, the QMJHL has lagged behind other leagues.
There isn’t one point-per-game player from the province of Quebec in the NHL at the moment, with young Alexis Lafrenière the closest to looking like the next breakout star.
The source, which works closely with developmental programs across Canada admitted to the same, but cautioned people in the industry from using this unfortunate trend to reduce Montembeault’s selection to that of a nepo-pick.
When polling NHL executives for comment, one was able to respond back before the publication of this article and had this to say:
“Montembeault is not a band-aid. Team Canada has liked him for a while and he’s represented them before and won,” said the NHL executive. “He’s a player that likely could have been a #1 or #2 on this roster if he played on a better NHL team. Montembeault deserves to be there.”
Marco D'Amico is a beat reporter covering the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL Draft, while also being a recurring guest on TSN690 and BPM Sports. His work primarily on NHL CBA breakdowns and prospect analysis, all while covering the Montreal Canadiens on a day-to-day basis.
