NHL Exec Makes Troubling Claim About Canadiens' Jakub Dobes
Pierre McGuire recently made some troubling remarks regarding Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes. According to him, there’s a clear issue with Dobes’ technique, which may explain why he’s currently out of the lineup.
Much like earlier in the season when Cayden Primeau was the Habs’ backup and saw limited action, Samuel Montembeault is now being overworked by head coach Martin St-Louis.
The days of Montembeault and Dobes sharing starts are long gone—and so is any talk of Dobes potentially surpassing Montembeault as the team’s starter.
McGuire: Dobes’ Flawed Technique Exposed
Despite Montembeault showing obvious signs of fatigue, the Canadiens continue to rely on him heavily, including in tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues. Since January 30, Dobes has played just five games and hasn’t started in over two weeks.
As reported by Marco Normandin of HABSolumentFan, McGuire believes he knows why Dobes has fallen out of favor with St-Louis.
"There’s an issue with Jakub Dobes’ technique, and the coach is aware of it. Teams around the league have figured out that if you shoot high on him, you’re likely to score. He drops into his butterfly too early, and opponents have adjusted—they’re not even bothering with low shots anymore. He’ll need to work with the goalie coach to fix it, but right now, it’s a clear weakness."
Pierre McGuire believes there's a problem with Jakub Dobes' game and that's why #GoHabsGo aren't playing him...
— The Sick Podcast - The Eye Test (@sickpodnhl) March 25, 2025
"There's a problem with Dobes' game... around the league people know that if you elevate the puck on this guy you're going to score a lot of goals"#thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/w8wvvoNb5t
McGuire’s comments are concerning, especially since this appears to be a major hole in Dobes’ game.
That said, the young netminder still has solid overall numbers, and there’s plenty of time for him to refine his play.
Image - Eric Bolte-Imagn
