Insider reveals a huge trade may be in the works involving the Panthers
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Austin Sabourin
Feb 28, 2026 (9:42)
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Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis might suddenly find elite goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky anchoring his crease for a deep playoff run.
The veteran netminder is incredibly uncertain about his long-term future with the Florida Panthers. The frantic trade deadline is rapidly approaching.
Respected hockey analyst Craig Button just dropped a massive bombshell regarding the rapidly developing goalie market. The noise is getting louder.
He suggested the Canadiens are completely open to acquiring the highly paid veteran to completely solidify their back end for the spring.
Montreal currently sits safely in a prime Eastern Conference playoff spot. But their wildly inconsistent goaltending actively threatens to ruin an otherwise fantastic campaign.
Sam Montembeault has been absolutely horrible between the pipes this winter. He is actively costing his locker room multiple highly winnable divisional games.
The struggling starter currently sports a highly disappointing .875 save percentage. He routinely fails to deliver solid execution during heavy pressure situations around the blue paint.
Bobrovsky linked to the Canadiens
Surviving a brutal best-of-seven playoff series with those terrible underlying numbers is a completely impossible task. The front office knows the harsh reality.
Bobrovsky immediately represents the ultimate veteran solution. That entirely depends on if he is genuinely open to waiving his strict no-movement clause for a fresh start up north.
Over his NHL career, he consistently delivers clutch postseason performances. He routinely bails out his defensive structure with incredibly athletic lateral movements.
He has already started 40 games this season down in Sunrise. This heavy usage clearly proves he can still handle an exhausting nightly workload against elite offensive units.
The massive remaining hurdle is his astronomical $10.0 million cap hit. General manager Kent Hughes will naturally demand heavy salary retention to facilitate this highly complex transaction.
If Montreal packages a premium mid-round draft pick with an expiring veteran contract, they can easily secure the undisputed starting goalie they desperately crave.
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