Insider suggests Fowler's Canadiens stint could be short-lived, but his play may change everything
Photo credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images
The well-known Pierre LeBrun poured cold water on those, like me, who were hoping to see Jacob Fowler with the Montreal Canadiens for good.
According to what the TSN insider mentioned before the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fowler's stay in the National Hockey League could be short-lived.
Kent Hughes and the Canadiens' management have a very clear and well-defined plan for the young Fowler, and the priority in his case remains his development.
Jacob Fowler could quickly be sent back to the Laval Rocket, according to Pierre LeBrun
If LeBrun is saying this, it's probably because he had a conversation with Kent Hughes, Fowler's agent, or another Canadiens executive on the subject.
It's bad news for someone like me, who was really hoping Fowler would stay with the Montreal Canadiens for a good while, but at the same time, it's true that his development is the priority. That said, if Fowler shows that he is ready for the NHL, everything could change very quickly.
"The plan, as I understand it, was always to bring up Jacob Fowler at some point. But, yeah, I don't think they thought it would be in early December. I thought that, in a perfect world, Fowler would get a taste of some NHL at some point in the second half of the season.
So, from that perspective, this has been expedited by the fact they can't get enough saves from their regular NHL goalies. Let's just call it for what it is. Don't forget, it's not just the goaltending. The Habs haven't been great defensively either.
But if this is too much for Fowler, they'll send him back to Laval at some point. But, in the meantime, yeah, it buys them some time.
I mean, they still believe in Sam Montembeault. It's not like the previous three years, where he was very durable and good goaltending, that the Habs have forgotten that. They think that's still in there. So, they hope that a little reset here might help him bounce back here. And that's certainly what they need.
- Pierre LeBrun
So, from that perspective, this has been expedited by the fact they can't get enough saves from their regular NHL goalies. Let's just call it for what it is. Don't forget, it's not just the goaltending. The Habs haven't been great defensively either.
But if this is too much for Fowler, they'll send him back to Laval at some point. But, in the meantime, yeah, it buys them some time.
I mean, they still believe in Sam Montembeault. It's not like the previous three years, where he was very durable and good goaltending, that the Habs have forgotten that. They think that's still in there. So, they hope that a little reset here might help him bounce back here. And that's certainly what they need.
- Pierre LeBrun
That said, we insist on saying that everything will depend on Jacob Fowler's performances. If he continues to play the way he did against the Pittsburgh Penguins, I imagine they will keep him in Montreal, but if not, he will obviously be sent back to Laval fairly quickly.
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 12|1612 ANSWERS Insider suggests Fowler's Canadiens stint could be short-lived, but his play may change everything When do you think Jacob Fowler will return to the Laval Rocket? | ||
| Within the next two weeks | 446 | 27.7 % |
| After the holidays | 473 | 29.3 % |
| At the end of the season or later | 128 | 7.9 % |
| Never | 565 | 35 % |
| List of polls | ||