Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Wednesday.
Montreal Canadiens News
With goaltender Jacob Fowler joining the fold, there’s no doubt the team is frustrated with the goaltending situation, but head coach Martin St-Louis insists Fowler is not in Montreal to serve as the saviour. He even went as far as suggesting he may not play, which would make a confusing situation even worse, as it would unnecessarily pause Fowler’s development. In all likelihood, Fowler will play, but for the moment the Habs are pretending the goaltending situation is not a pressing issue. [Fowler Not Guaranteed To Play, New Canadiens Forward Lines]
I don’t want to be too critical of St-Louis, but I doubt the plan was to call up his top goaltending prospect roughly 20 games into his rookie season.
Habs coach Marty St. Louis today when asked if calling up Jacob Fowler is a “move out of desperation:”
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) December 10, 2025
“I don’t think we’ll ever do anything in desperation. Somebody who’s desperate, it’s because he’s not calculated and he doesn’t have a plan.” pic.twitter.com/ki5U4wZcHa
On the bright side, Fowler will make a lot more money during his time in Montreal than he would have in the AHL. His AHL salary is only $82,500, whereas it jumps to $775,000 with the possibility of bonuses now that he’s playing in the NHL. [Puck Pedia]
It seemed that the Canadiens had somehow managed to avoid the pain that’s usually inevitable when going through a rebuild, but the other shoe has finally dropped. It’s not necessarily a negative situation, as long as expectations are adjusted accordingly by management and fans alike. [Reality Check A Long-Term Positive For Rebuilding Canadiens]
Exciting rookie Ivan Demidov turned 20 on Wednesday. The skilled winger has scored six goals and 17 assists in 23 games, and is currently second in NHL rookie scoring.
Happy 20th Birthday to Ivan Demidov 🎉 pic.twitter.com/aleQzuijgg
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) December 10, 2025
Even though the Laval Rocket were without Fowler, Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, and Jared Davidson, they still managed to establish a 3-0 lead versus the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday night, but they weren’t able to hold on, losing 5-4 in the shootout. Sean Farrell (6), William Trudeau (3), Alex Belzile (12), and Luke Tuch (4) scored for the Rocket.
Farrell 🚨3-0 🚀 pic.twitter.com/xlIUrPujbU
— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) December 11, 2025
ICYMI: The Habs have a serious defensive issue, and it’s become impossible to ignore. The top pairing of Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson has struggled of late, with the numbers suggesting a change is overdue. [Canadiens Defensive Pairings Are In Need Of A Shake-Up]
Sportsnaut Network
Coming from Toronto, Mitch Marner is no stranger to scrutiny. And in his first month with the Vegas Golden Knights, he received his fair share of criticism. Despite recording 14 points in his first 11 games, it took Marner until the end of October to score his first goal in a Golden Knights sweater. After scoring his second two games later, he went another 12 games before scoring another goal. [Vegas Golden Knights]
The Florida Panthers saw a lot of positives from the close out of their lengthy home stand that ended with a pair of wins. Florida is set to face the much-improved Utah Mammoth after earning points in three consecutive games, a feat they only accomplished three times this season. [Florida Panthers]
Again. And again. The record has been skipping for a week as the Pittsburgh Penguins have taken leads into the final minutes, only to see lit goal lamps behind their goalie when six opponents raise their hands for a tying goal. The extra attacker has been a battle for the Penguins. If not for a controversial hand pass, the Penguins’ streak of allowing a tying goal against the extra attacker would be three and counting. As it is, the Penguins have allowed three tying goals against an empty net this season, and in two straight games. [Pittsburgh Penguins]
