Among the handful of autonomous players Kent Hughes will have to sign next summer is Samuel Montembeault. The Quebec goaltender has said loud and clear that he hopes to sign before the start of the campaign, but that's not happening. In fact, according to Marc Antoine Godin, negotiations between the Montembeault clan and the CH have not even begun. If Kent Hughes waits too long, it could be a big mistake. <q>Can't wait to see how the poker game between Samuel Montembeault and the Habs evolves. There are no negotiations at the moment, but should it spill over into the season and Montembeault continue his positive trajectory, the bill won't be the same rendered at Christmas. - Marc Antoine Godin</q> We saw just how much his little sessions on the ice with Carey Price benefited him at the World Championship, when he was a scorcher in helping Canada win the gold medal. If Monty can carry that kind of performance into the coming season, the contract will be much higher for Kent Hughes. We know that the GM has been very busy this summer, notably with signings and transactions, including that of Jeff Petry. Now, he's looking to free up some $3.8 million of his payroll, so more trades to come. We have reason to believe that negotiations with the Montembeault clan won't begin until this evening. <blockquote class=twitter-tweet><p lang=fr dir=ltr>Looking forward to seeing how the poker game between Samuel Montembeault and the Habs evolves. There are no negotiations at the moment, but should this spill over into the season and Montembeault continue his positive trajectory, the bill won't be the same rendered at Christmas.- Marc Antoine Godin (@MAGodin) <a href=https://twitter.com/MAGodin/status/1692263709660365128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>August 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8>