The Montreal Canadiens have announced that they have signed goaltender Jakub Dobes to a new three-year deal worth $16.05 million. The contract carries an average annual value of $5.357 million per season and carries him through the 2029-30 season, which brings him to UFA status. The contract doesn’t kick in until the 2027-28 season.
Canadiens Re-Sign Jakub Dobes
Les Canadiens s’entendent sur les termes d’une prolongation de contrat de trois saisons (2027-2028 à 2029-2030) avec le gardien Jakub Dobes.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension (2027-28 to 2029-30) with goalie Jakub Dobes.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Sa8xdANqt6
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 2, 2026
Much like the deal announced yesterday for Ivan Demidov, the Canadiens elected to sign Dobes early instead of waiting for him to become a restricted free agent at the end of next season.
Dobes took over as the Canadiens starter after Samuel Montembeault struggled last season. He posted a record of 29-10-4 with a goals-against average of 2.78 and a save percentage of .901.
Dobes went 9-10 during the Canadiens Stanley Cup run this past season, posting a 2.66 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.
Over his career, Dobes has a record of 36-7-4 with a goals-against average of 2.77 and save percentage of .904.
He was originally drafted by the Canadiens in the fifth round, 136th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Dobes Earns Solid Contract After Incredible Season
After having such a strong season last year and becoming the hero for the Canadiens during their Stanley Cup run this past season, Dobes earned every cent of his new deal. The Canadiens showed how much they trust that he will continue this level of play, signing him a year earlier than they had to. This should instill confidence in the Canadiens netminder, in a situation where they still currently have three goaltenders. Kent Hughes mentioned that he does want Jacob Fowler playing more games this season, so we’re likely looking at a 1A, 1B situation with Dobes and Fowler.
As for Montembeault, Hughes isn’t going to move him just for the sake of doing it. He said if a deal doesn’t present itself, they’ll roll into the season with three goaltenders again this season. Not ideal, but Hughes won’t be pressured into doing anything he feels will hurt the team going forward.
Next for Hughes will be to try to get his other restricted free agents under contract as Arber Xhekaj, Kirby Dach and Zachary Bolduc are still without a contract. He is also looking for a second-line centre and scoring winger to add to his club as well. Getting the Demidov and Dobes contracts locked up early gives him a better outlook of what money he has available to him for future moves to improve the Canadiens roster.
Main Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
