As mentioned earlier, Jeff Gorton, the Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Montreal Canadiens, was interviewed on RDS, with the segment airing last night.
During the interview, he discussed Ivan Demidov’s integration with the team, along with several other intriguing topics. One point of interest was Gorton’s response when asked about players who had made a strong impression on management lately, particularly during the 2024 training camp. The first player he highlighted was Jakub Dobes.
“I believe Dobes played very well, and he showed us what things could look like eventually,” Gorton remarked, also mentioning Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen shortly after. Among the veterans, he specifically talked about Jake Evans.
Could Cayden Primeau be in jeopardy? It’s apparent that the Canadiens’ management holds Dobes in high regard, viewing him as a potential goaltending future for the team. With their goal of winning as many games as possible this season, they might not hesitate to replace Primeau with the 6-foot-5 Czech goalie should the need arise. This is something to watch for if Primeau starts the season poorly.
Which of these two goaltenders do you think has a brighter future with the Canadiens? Dobes, who is 23, was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, while Primeau, 25, was picked in the seventh round in 2017. Having internal competition is beneficial, and although Samuel Montembeault appears to have firmly established himself as the starting goaltender, the backup position remains up for grabs.
