Carrier and Montembeault face contract-year scrutiny with Canadiens core

The Montreal Canadiens are entering a season that will put several veterans into contract-year evaluation mode, and two of the most important internal questions center on Alexandre Carrier and Samuel Montembeault. As the Canadiens prepare to open the NHL schedule, both players are described as facing a “big year” in terms of whether their next stretch of games can translate into a new deal with the organization.

In Montreal’s ecosystem, Carrier’s role is tied to the defensive structure. A contract year tends to sharpen how an organization views consistent reliability, especially from a player expected to carry minutes and play a steady game across different matchups. The reported framing in the preseason period is not about one isolated performance, but rather about sustaining production and reliability enough to justify the Canadiens’ long-term planning.

For Montembeault, the contract-year pressure is framed through the lens of goaltending demands. The position is judged on workload, results, and day-to-day performance, and Montreal’s path to a competitive season requires stability in net. According to the report, Montembeault’s upcoming run is expected to be a defining period for him as the organization weighs whether to keep him in place beyond the current term.

The Canadiens context matters here because Carrier and Montembeault are not the only experienced players who will be playing with future leverage on the line. The report specifically places them alongside other Canadiens veterans, naming Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson in the broader group of players who are also tied to the contract-year conversation. That matters because it points to a roster-building moment, where the Canadiens have to decide which pieces best match the team’s longer-term direction.

At the team level, contract-year scrutiny can influence how players are deployed. Teams often balance evaluation with competitiveness, which means a player’s usage can reflect how the coaching staff is trying to win now while still learning what the organization can count on later. For Montreal, that creates a season-long storyline for fans: which players emerge as keepers, and which roles might be reshaped if new agreements do not materialize.

The uncertainty is also practical. Even when a player has delivered a strong contract-year, extensions are not guaranteed, because negotiations depend on salary structure, term preferences, and the Canadiens’ broader roster needs. Any decision about Carrier or Montembeault will almost certainly be made with reference to team budget realities and what the organization believes it needs on the blue line and in goal.

What to watch next is the consistency of both players’ impact relative to expectations: for Carrier, how reliably he fits into Montreal’s defensive tasks and game-to-game execution; for Montembeault, how he handles the demands placed on him and how his performance holds across varied situations. If they deliver the kind of season that strengthens the Canadiens’ internal case, the “big year” framing could quickly turn into momentum toward new deals. If not, Montreal’s contract-year decisions could become one of the defining themes of the coming months.