Discussing Dobes’ New Deal – HabsWorld.net
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Ivan Demidov wasn’t the only Hab to sign an extension this week as Jakub Dobes received a three-year pact worth a little over $5.35 million per season. Our writers provide their assessment on the early signing.
Terry Costaris: I would call the extension of Dobes, a “runway contract.” It gives the highly promising Jacob Fowler some room to potentially take over the reins with less pressure on him. It also allows the Montreal Canadiens’ bevy of prospects runway to work themselves onto the main team.
What may end up happening is that in years two or three, Dobes is traded for a final piece that makes the Habs a bonafide contender or a promising prospect who will help keep the Canadiens relevant over an extended period of time.
You have to admire the 3D chess playing of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. The Canadiens will have a variety of options to work with while likely having a very good goaltender between the pipes for at least a few more years.
Yes, there’s the risk of Dobes losing his mojo. Goalies, in particular, are very fickle creatures. Just look at Samuel Montembeault’s unexpected decline this past season. But oftentimes, a change of scenery and a team absorbing a portion of the salary is good enough to trade a goaltender. Someone usually takes a flyer on such goalies- especially if they’ve had an exceptional run.
I must admit that when I first saw the numbers, I got scared. Then I read that Dobes will be number 20 in goalie salaries when his contract starts. NHL salaries, in general, are crazy.
No NHL team avoids landing some bad contracts. Sooner or later, the Canadiens will have another Kirby Dach or Brendan Gallagher-like contract to contend with. When or if this happens, the money that they have saved in team-friendly contracts may make up for such mistakes.
Having said all of this, the bottom line is that Dobes’ extension is not very risky. It provides some extra runway for its other promising goaltender prospects and gives management a variety of positive options to work with going forward. I like this signing.
Brian Davis: So, my immediate first reaction to this was “really and how much,” but on reflection, it makes sense as a prove-it bridge.
For the next two or three seasons, Dobes should get the chance to play 50+ games as the number one goalie, but with Fowler nipping at his heels. If he carries on playing with the confidence of playoff Dobes, then it will look like a steal. If Fowler surpasses him, then he’ll get traded, or the contract will expire when that happens.
What’s more, this sets a template for next summer and Fowler’s extension. The carrot is there for him to try to play past Dobes and take the number, which means Dobes will always have someone nipping at his heels.
Frankly, this may be a little overpay in the first year, but this is great asset management again by Hughes/Gorton. It gives them a chance to keep the situation fluid, especially with all the goalies in the system. It will be interesting how this plays out.
Allan Katz: The Dobes contract actually surprised me on a certain level. The dollars, while not astronomical, were higher than I would have expected. What’s intriguing, though, is the length of the deal. By making it three years, this almost becomes the Fowler contract. Not in terms of money but in terms of laying out a game plan for the next three years for the heir apparent.
This three-year deal is like a three-year plan for the Montreal netminders. Year One: Dobes is the starter, provided he has a decent camp. Either Fowler or Montembeault is the backup to start the season. Fowler possibly starts in Laval and if he’s hot and Sam-I-am is cold – Fowler moves up and Monty rides into the sunset. If Monty starts hot and Dobes is fine then I can see Monty being traded, provided Fowler is doing well. There are a lot of ifs here and I can write in circles going over the possibilities. So, let’s bottom-line the whole shebang.
The Habs paid $16.2 million bucks to allow three years for the situation in net to solve itself. My guess is that Montembeault moves on and Fowler battles Dobes with either one winning to stay here or the possibility that they become a tandem in a way that perhaps we have never seen before. The state of netminding is changing from the days of 60 starts for the Vezina talents. Teams need two decent goalies because of the 84-game schedule and the playoffs to follow. Will the Habs go that way? Probably not because when one of the youngsters stumble, chances are the other will grab the crown. But let’s be honest, no one knows how this will play out. It’s the nature of the position and it’s weirdness and the final solution might be revolutionary, a true tandem, or, more likely, the emergence of one very talented player.
I will guarantee this, though. What other writer have you ever seen that can have a reference to Dr. Seuss and old Western movies in the same sentence? None!!! Fowler possibly starts in Laval and if he’s hot and Sam-I-am is cold – Fowler moves up and Monty rides into the sunset. … I have made my case.
Brian La Rose: I get why Montreal only wanted a three-year deal here as it lines up for them to make a decision between Dobes and Fowler and by then, ideally one of their other prospects is ready. (Yevgeni Volokhin would be my pick there.) Given the volatility goalies have from one year to the next, I’m a little surprised they didn’t wait until at least a few games to make sure Dobes didn’t go back to being the goalie he was in the first half of the season, one where the Habs were winning more in spite of him than thanks to him.
The money bothers me a bit though. Yes, I’m aware of the comparables having gone through them in the original write-up about the signing. And I’m aware of the cap going up. But the comparables noted were all five-year deals, including Daniel Vladar (five years at $5.5 million signed on Wednesday). He was coming off a very similar platform year (better regular season, weaker playoff performance) but all of his years were UFA years and he locked in for barely more than Dobes for two more years. One of the seasons covered with this contract is an RFA year and they’re supposed to be cheaper. If this were even a four-year pact at this price tag, it would make sense. But at three years, the AAV should have been a little closer to the $5 million even range given the still-limited track record. I’m quibbling over a fairly small amount here but with how tight to the cap the Habs like to operate, that small difference could matter.
Clearly, they like the combination between him and Marco Marciano and are betting on it early, willing to pay a bit more than they probably should have to lock it in and avoid any distractions. It could backfire but if Dobes picks up where he left off, the deal should work out just fine.
Kevin Leveille: The three-year term is the part I like most. It gives the Canadiens stability in net while allowing time for Fowler to continue his development and potentially form what could be a very strong tandem with Dobes. The AAV is a little higher than I expected for a goalie with such a limited NHL resume, but that’s the cost of betting on the upside. Dobes was outstanding down the stretch—arguably one of the league’s best goalies after the Olympic break—but it’s still a relatively small sample size. This feels like a prove-it contract with enough security for both sides. Goaltending is incredibly volatile, and we saw with Montembeault last season just how much a team’s fortunes can hinge on the play between the pipes. It’s a calculated risk, but one that makes sense given the potential reward.
Peter Longo: If Dobes plays the way he did in the last two months of the season and playoffs, this is a great contract. If he plays like he did in the first half of the season, Hughes might regret this contract. But I have to think that Dobes matured a lot through last season. Early in the season, he seemed to struggle mentally, which is a tough part of sports – especially for goalies. But he bounced back and fans could sense him becoming mentally stronger and more resilient. Obviously, Hughes has better insight into these things than fans, so I’m going to support this contract and am excited to see Dobes back between the pipes for the foreseeable future.
Paul MacLeod: There are now two groups of fans: those who believe that Hughes did well to secure Dobes to a reasonable deal before he became arbitration-eligible and those who are wrong. Extending Dobes now instead of setting up the team for endless questions about his contract status as next season unfolds and securing a good, young goaltender at a reasonable term and price is a tidy bit of work. Does it carry risk? Yes, of course, but less risk than waiting to get it done, given the spiraling salaries and salary cap.
Norm Szcyrek: The Dobes signing surprised me a little but overall, I am pleased with it. Some pundits have said that Montreal’s management could have waited until the regular season was underway to get Dobes signed to an extension since his contract did not expire until the end of the 2026-27 season. However, players do not like uncertainty when it comes to contracts, and, generally speaking, they play better when that business part of the game is taken care of. As a former player agent, GM Kent Hughes understands that better than most of his peers. Take Lane Hutson’s contract extension as an example. He signed his extension on October 13, 2025, after having a shaky start in his first three games of the regular season. I have no doubt that his contract extension was weighing on his mind and affected his performance on the ice.
In the regular season, Dobes outperformed Montembeault to take over the number-one netminder title. In the playoffs, he turned his game up another level to solidify himself as their top goaltender. Just past the middle of the season, when all three Habs goaltenders were getting starts, is when I think the coaching and management began to believe he was their number one. Jakub won a 7-5 game against Carolina on January 1st, then had to wait until January 12 for his next start, a 6-3 win over Vancouver. The next start was January 20, a 6-3 win over Minnesota. Montembeault got the next two starts against division rivals Buffalo and Boston, and lost both. After that Dobes got the next three starts against Vegas, Colorado, and Buffalo, winning all of them against three of the best teams in the league. From that point on, Montembeault got only three starts, losing two of them, and did not play a game after March, a terrible 6-5 loss to Anaheim. Dobes got the majority of the starts, and Fowler assumed the backup role. We all know what he did in the playoffs this year. For that and his regular season performance, he was rewarded with an extra three years in a Habs uniform, and I believe he deserves it.
