We’re eight days from the NHL Draft, with trade rumours swirling at gale force — a perfect time to crack open the mail and answer some pressing questions.

Without further ado …

I think your odds are about 50-50, Derek.

It’s the top priority, even if it’s not the only one, and Kent Hughes has a history of making his biggest moves before July 1.

I know he’s pushing very hard to repeat that history.

But the free agent market isn’t overflowing with quality players. It’s actually quite barren of them, making the trade market a real sellers’ market. And that might make it a little less possible than in recent history for Hughes to acquire what he’s after before your birthday.

If he can’t, send me your address and I’ll send you a card.

Are we to assume that because Jakub Dobes was remarkable down the stretch and through the playoffs that he’s guaranteed to be Montreal’s starting goaltender for all next season, and that, even if it’s his job to lose and he manages to keep it, it would prohibit Jacob Fowler from playing “a significant amount” of games?

Because if we are, those are some enormous assumptions to make about two goaltenders who have appeared in a combined … (checks notes) … 99 NHL games (playoffs included).

You’re right about Fowler, though. He’s barely 21, and conventional wisdom suggests he needs to play a lot to fulfill his enormous potential down the line, and the AHL will all but guarantee him more playing time than the NHL.

But if the Canadiens trade Samuel Montembeault — there are no guarantees they will, and I’m not even suggesting they should — the door opens for Fowler to play plenty and gain more valuable experience in the NHL, which ultimately might serve his development better. 

Even if Dobes plays as well next season as he did from March onward of this past one, Fowler would probably still get into roughly 35 of the 84 games on the Canadiens’ schedule. That’s a relatively safe bet just based on where both goalies are on their developmental curves and how goaltending duties around the league are generally split. And again, that’s assuming Montembeault’s out of the way—either traded, or relegated to being the third goalie in Montreal—and no other goaltender is joining the mix at the NHL level.

Meanwhile, Fowler’s pro development is already in a good spot. He gained 45 games of experience split between Laval and Montreal last season, which is only six fewer than Dobes played as a rookie in Laval.

Dobes then played just 16 with the Rocket and 17 with the Canadiens in 2024-25, which felt suboptimal at the time.

But look where it brought Dobes in 2025-26.

That should inspire confidence that Fowler’s development won’t be underserved by playing a bit less in Montreal than he would in Laval.

I’m going to start backwards here.

I don’t think it’s necessary to include Guhle in a package to net a quality right-hand defenceman. 

As a sidebar, I........

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