Recent Surprise Acquisition by Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens Has Just Been Explained
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When Kent Hughes announced the signing of goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen on July 1, many hockey fans raised their eyebrows.
With Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes already in the mix, not to mention Jacob Fowler, people were wondering why the Montreal Canadiens had signed another goalie for next season.
That said, looking at the 2025-26 National Hockey League schedule, the organization's strategy in bringing in the Finnish goaltender on the opening day of free agency becomes a bit clearer.
The Unexpected One-Season Acquisition of Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen in Montreal Finally Makes Sense
As reported by DansLesCoulisses, NHL teams will get very little rest next season, largely due to the Olympic Games in February 2026.
This means games will be scheduled with very few breaks, and Samuel Montembeault will need to be rested as much as possible. He will undoubtedly be Martin St-Louis's trusted number one goaltender to start the season.
"Reducing Samuel Montembeault's workload was already a goal for the team, and this schedule makes it even more important to achieve that."
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Furthermore, the Canadiens will play back-to-back games no fewer than 16 times in 2025-26, so Jakub Dobes and Kaapo Kahkonen will need to step up if the Habs want to build on last season's momentum.
The importance of the backup goalie will be more tangible than ever-or close to it.
While Montembeault is almost certain to be the starting goalie, the battle between Dobes and Kahkonen for the backup job will be one to watch during training camp, which opens this coming September.
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