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Jakub Dobes Ready To Battle For Canadiens Roster Spot

Jakub Dobes is ready to secure a backup role with the Montreal Canadiens and potentially more in 2025-26, but he will have to battle a veteran teammate. The position won't be handed to either party, so training camp should be electric between the pipes.

Tyler Major-Mcnicol

Apr 27, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) looks on against the Washington Capitals during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Apr 27, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) looks on against the Washington Capitals during the second period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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24-year-old Czech native Jakub Dobes got 16 games of NHL experience under his belt between the pipes for the Montral Canadiens in 2024-25. He served as Samuel Montembeault's backup, and even filled in for No. 35 during the Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Anybody who watches hockey knows that the goaltender is perhaps the most respected player on the team, and that is especially true if the opponent tries to take liberties against the masked man between the pipes.

Of course, that also means that competition is considerably tough for an NHL role, as there are just two positions, and there have been many examples of goalies losing their positions because they simply couldn't show up when called upon.

You hate to kick at an old can, but Cayden Primeau is an example of a great AHL goaltender who just couldn't cut it in the NHL. Montreal neatly traded him and then decided to roll with Kaapo Kähkönen and Dobes as their two options for their NHL backup role.

The other will presumably back up, or split starts, in Laval for the Rocket with Jacob Fowler, who could be the best of all four goalies when all is said and done.

Given the way that Dobes played, doing so with confidence against a veteran Capitals team, it gives weight to the thought that the Canadiens will give him a long look at training camp. Kähkönen is fully capable of handling those minutes, but given that Dobes was drafted and has been developed in-house, the organization has high hopes for the six-foot-four, 201-pound goaltender, who isn't shy of the post-whistle shenanigans.

Dobes feisty style and hard-nosed, competitive game are sure to serve him well in his battle against Kähkönen, but especially as he navigates his sophomore season, which can be tough for many second-year players to navigate.

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Tyler Major-Mcnicol
TYLER MAJOR-MCNICOL

Tyler is a former Algonquin College journalism graduate, and passionate hockey fan. His love for the Montreal Canadiens comes second to his love of hockey. With two daughter’s under four years old, hockey is always a topic of conversation. Nothing gets me quite excited like an empty canvas waiting to have a story written on it, and the smell of fresh ice in the air.

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