Edmonton Oilers have called Original Six team inquiring about goaltender but there's an obstacle

Insider Maxime Truman confirmed the Edmonton Oilers have shown significant interest in Montreal Canadiens goaltender Montembeault, with other teams also making calls to Kent Hughes.

There is, as Truman put it, clearly a path that could lead to a transaction.

Montembeault checks several boxes. He carries a $3.15 million cap hit and is in the final year of his deal, which means the financial commitment is modest and the risk is contained.

His underlying numbers over the previous three seasons are solid, and the 2025-26 campaign - an .873 save percentage across 25 games before getting demoted to the AHL's Laval Rocket - reads more like an aberration than a defining statement.

Pierre LeBrun said on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer that Montembeault will not play another game for the Canadiens, which means his departure is effectively a certainty.

The more complicated issue sits right below the surface. The Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins in December 2025, giving up Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a second-round pick.

Jarry then posted an .858 save percentage and a 3.86 goals-against average in 19 games before losing his starting job to Connor Ingram.

He still has two years remaining on his deal at $5.375 million per season.

Adding Montembeault on top of that situation does not solve the goaltending problem - it adds a second bounce-back candidate to a room that already has one.

The ideal outcome requires moving Jarry first, then bringing in Montembeault as the clear starter.

That sequence matters enormously, especially with Connor McDavid entering the final two years of his current contract.

A Jarry-Montembeault tandem may carry a manageable combined cap hit, but it is still two struggling goalies sharing a crease while Edmonton's championship window keeps tightening with every offseason that passes without a real solution.

Stan Bowman already paid a steep price - Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak, and a second-round pick - for a goaltending upgrade that did not work.

The Oilers cannot afford a second consecutive offseason of compromise, not with the stakes currently on the table.

Montembeault, at the right cost and with Jarry exiting, is a legitimate gamble on a goalie with a real track record.

Without the Jarry exit, it is just addition without subtraction - and Edmonton has already learned exactly what that looks like.

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