Монреаль Канадиенс баг ирээдүйтэй хаалгач Якуб Добешийг гурван жилийн хугацаатай, 16 сая гаруй ам.долларын үнэ бүхий гэрээгээр багтаа авч үлдлээ.
Монреаль Канадиенс пүрэв гарагт 25 настай хаалгач Якуб Добештэй гурван жилийн хугацаатай, нийт 16 сая гаруй ам.долларын үнэ бүхий гэрээ сунгаснаа албан ёсоор зарлалаа. Түүний шинэ гэрээний жилийн дундаж цалин 5.35 сая ам.доллар бөгөөд 2030 он хүртэл үргэлжлэх юм. Добеш өнгөрсөн улиралд багийнхаа плэй-офф дахь амжилттай тоглолтод чухал үүрэг гүйцэтгэж, Дорнод бүсийн финал хүртэлх 19 тоглолтод оролцохдоо 13.3 гоол оруулахаас сэргийлсэн үзүүлэлтээр лигийг тэргүүлсэн билээ.
Чех улсаас гаралтай Добеш хаалгачийн хувьд энэхүү гэрээ нь түүний мэргэжлийн замналын томоохон алхам болж байна. Тэрээр хаалгачдын дасгалжуулагч Марко Маркианотой хамтран ажиллаж эхэлснээс хойш үндсэн хаалгачийн үүрэгт тоглолтоо сайжруулж, улирлын төгсгөлд 10-4-0 гэсэн амжилт үзүүлсэн. Добеш Монреаль Канадиенс багт үргэлжлүүлэн тоглох нь багийн ялалтын төлөөх нэгдсэн зорилготой нийцэж байгааг онцолсон юм.
Монреаль Канадиенс баг сүүлийн өдрүүдэд Иван Демидовтой найман жилийн гэрээ байгуулснаас гадна Ник Сузуки, Коул Кофилд, Юрай Слафковский зэрэг гол тоглогчдоо урт хугацаанд багтаа хадгалаад байна. Одоогийн байдлаар тус баг 2030 он хүртэл гэрээтэй есөн тоглогчтой болж, нийт 67.73 сая ам.долларын цалингийн төсөвтэйгөөр ирэх улирлуудад амжилт гаргахаар төлөвлөж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The Montreal Canadiens continued locking up their young core Thursday, signing goaltender Jakub Dobeš to a three-year contract extension worth just under $5.4 million per season.
Dobeš, 25, had one year left on his contract and would have been a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.
The contract, officially worth $5,357,575 per season and just over $16 million total, comes after a tremendous rookie season for Dobeš, who started all 19 games of the Canadiens’ unlikely run to the Eastern Conference final and led all playoff goalies in goals saved above expected with 13.3, according to Moneypuck.
It is the completion of a journey for Dobeš, who left his native Czech Republic for Missouri at age 16 to try out for the St. Louis AAA Blues program after he was unable to find a high-level team in his home country to play for.
“It’s really exciting for me and my family,” Dobeš said in a video call from St. Louis, his offseason home and the city that set him off on his NHL journey. “Where I come from in the Czech Republic, it’s a lot of money. I’m really happy, especially for my family, that we have this all together.
“I cannot really get satisfied. I don’t feel like the money is too important to me. I’m just happy I can focus on hockey and have a clear mind and try to win a championship with Montreal.”
The signing comes a day after the Canadiens extended the contract of Calder runner-up Ivan Demidov for eight years at $9.15 million a year, and Dobeš’ new contract expiring in 2030 gives the Canadiens nine players who are under contract until then at a total salary cap hit of $67.73 million. That group includes captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Demidov and now Dobeš.
“It’s exciting,” Dobeš said. “I feel like we have a good group. At the end of the day, I feel like everyone wants to win, which is really important to get the deals done and keep the guys together. I feel like everything was pretty smooth with all of us.
“I’m just excited everyone is on the same page and wanted to do what’s best for us and we think as a group. I’m excited. I feel like we have a lot of potential to, in the next couple of years, get something exciting done.”
Dobeš took over as the unchallenged No. 1 goaltender at the trade deadline, when incumbent Sam Montembeault became the No. 3 goalie and prospect Jacob Fowler was called up to be the backup. From March 7 to the end of the regular season, Dobeš had a 10-4-0 record with a .924 save percentage, second over that span only to Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning in wins and fifth in save percentage among goaltenders with at least eight games played.
But it was really the arrival of goalie coach Marco Marciano at the end of January that got Dobeš going and convinced the Canadiens he was ready for the No. 1 job. Dobeš went 13-5-1 with a .914 save percentage in 19 regular-season games after the goalie coach switch.
“I feel like with Marco coming in, it definitely made me a way better goalie,” he said. “I’m excited for next year. I feel like if I play like I did last year, I’m just excited for my potential and what I can bring to this team.”
For the season, Dobeš went 29-10-4 with a 2.78 goals-against average and .901 save percentage, finishing eighth in goals saved above expected, according to Moneypuck. He came fourth in Calder Trophy voting for NHL rookie of the year.
There is risk involved in this contract, considering the volatility of the goaltending position and the fact Dobeš has a very limited track record. But there was a risk in not doing it as well, because Dobeš’ eligibility for arbitration next season meant if he put up an even better performance in the final year of his contract, his case in arbitration would have been strong and might have earned him an even bigger contract.
That could have been an option for Dobeš, to let it ride and take his chances in arbitration, but it was just one among several other options he discussed with his agent Gerry Johannson over the last month. Ultimately, the desire to join that core group and make a run for a championship in Montreal over the next four years won out.
“My mentality is to focus on winning, and I feel like this is the perfect contract, perfect place, everything,” Dobeš said. “It just worked out really well. The whole mentality is to prove myself again and win. I’m not really focusing on the money. I want to win, so I feel like this is the best scenario that could happen.”
