Rangers, Devils, Oilers have called about Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes

Jakub Dobes is suddenly a trade name, and the Canadiens are taking calls on a goalie who still hasn't found his footing this season.

Late last night, Sacha L. reported on X that the Rangers, Devils and Oilers have all called Montreal about the 25-year-old netminder.

The timing matters. It came as a follow-up to David Pagnotta's report that Kent Hughes and his staff want to go after a really big fish.

Big fish cost real assets. A young Czech goalie carrying a $965,000 cap hit is precisely the type of piece rival GMs ask about first.

So why would three clubs chase a goalie with one win in four appearances?

Because the market is that thin. Edmonton's Tristan Jarry sits at .837, which is actually worse than Dobes and his .841 save percentage.

Samuel Montembeault's injury makes a Dobes deal risky for Montreal

Goalies are like plumbers in a January cold snap. Nobody thinks about them until something bursts, and then everybody's dialing the same number.

The Oilers are 5-1-1 under Mike Babcock and perfect in four road games. Devon Levi, at .897, hasn't exactly locked down the crease either.

The Rangers' case is clearer. Joonas Korpisalo is on injured reserve until at least Nov. 9, and they got hammered 7-1 in New Jersey last night.

That same Devils club has its own questions. Jake Allen is 36, and Nicolas Daws has posted an .857 save percentage through four games.

Here's the problem for Montreal. Samuel Montembeault is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and isn't expected back until at least Oct. 20.

That leaves Jacob Fowler as the only other healthy goalie on the roster. The 21-year-old owns a .906 save percentage and a shutout.

Move Dobes right now and Martin St-Louis has a single healthy NHL goalie heading into Saturday's home date with Buffalo.

The Canadiens edged the Sabres 4-3 in a shootout Tuesday, but they can't afford many more coin flips. Montreal sits 25th overall with a -4 goal differential.

Selling now would be a bad idea, plain and simple. A struggling goalie on a cheap deal returns a fraction of what he'd fetch after one hot month.

Unless he's the sweetener in a bigger package. That's the kind of deal Hughes makes if the big fish turns out to be real.

San Jose comes to town next Tuesday night. Until Montembeault is cleared, every call about Dobes is one Hughes has to think twice about answering.

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