Gavin McKenna arrived in the NHL with the hype of a generational forward that could help spark an immediate turnaround for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
McKenna, who was the preseason favourite to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year at FanDuel, has produced eight points in 14 games while averaging 13:38 of ice time in Toronto.
Trevor Connelly of the Vegas Golden Knights, James Hagens of the Boston Bruins, and Ivar Stenberg of the San Jose Sharks are tied for the NHL lead among rookies with nine points each.
Meanwhile, Porter Martone of the Philadelphia Flyers isn’t far behind with six points, while the Chicago Blackhawks young duo of Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov have combined for 11 points in 12 games.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard of the Detroit Red Wings has eight points and leads all rookies with a plus-nine rating.
This year’s rookie class is deep and there is a long way to go when it comes to the best young players in the league establishing themselves ahead of their peers.
However, a new name has entered the early Calder conversation, and it’s one nobody expected to hear after he was assigned to the AHL for the start of the season.
Montreal Canadiens rookie Jacob Fowler was sent to Laval after his NHL club opted to begin the year with veterans Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembault.
Then Montembault suffered an injury in practice, Dobes struggled to find his form, and the Habs were compelled to turn to their 21-year-old rookie to right the ship.
Fowler has seized the opportunity with a level of play that even the most optimistic Habs fan couldn’t have expected under the circumstances.
After a signature performance in a shutout win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, Fowler has established himself as the clear No. 1 option in Montreal and forced us all to reevaluate the early Calder Trophy conversation.
Let’s dive into the numbers in this Morning Coffee column for Wednesday October 28th, 2026.
Habs Rookie Fowler Enters Early Calder Trophy Conversation With Signature Win
In seven starts this season, Fowler has gone 6-1-0 with a .942 save percentage and 1.54 goals against average.
Fowler already leads the NHL with 10.1 Goals Saved Above Expected and a 1.68 Wins Above Replacement.
The Canadiens have won each of his last six starts.
Entering the season, the Habs planned to roll with Dobes as their No. 1 option, with Montembault spelling him as the backup while Fowler worked on his craft in Laval.
Instead, Dobes allowed an average of five goals per game in four October starts, forcing Montreal to turn to Fowler with Montembault sidelined.
It could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Habs.
The NHL’s youngest goaltender has put up elite numbers.
Fowler delivered a signature performance in Tuesday night’s win in St. Louis.
The Canadiens were outshot 46-20 by the Blues.
Fowler turned aside all 46 shots he faced for his second shutout in seven games this season.
The 46 saves were the third-most by any Habs goalie in a game since the NHL started tracking saves in 1955-56.
He’s just the fourth goaltender in franchise history to record multiple shutouts before turning 22 years old, joining Carey Price, Jaroslav Halak and Jocelyn Thibault.
The parallels between Fowler and Price are real.
When Price was asked which young goaltender reminds him the most of himself, he pointed to Fowler.
Former Canadiens goalie coach Stéphane Waite has echoed a similar sentiment, describing Fowler as “never too high, never too low”.
Fowler has handled the comparisons with perspective, calling them an honour but admitting he has not earned that status yet.
He’s certainly headed in the right direction.
After turning aside 33 of 34 shots in a 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets to become the youngest goaltender in NHL history to win a Heritage Classic game, Fowler delivered the best performance of his young career in the shutout win over the Blues.
Regardless of whether Fowler can sustain this elite level of play, Dobes will get another shot at the crease at some point this season.
That’s the reality for a Canadiens side that needs to balance its need for elite goaltending with a reasonable workload for a 21-year-old rookie goaltender.
However, if Fowler continues to shine, he should force Montreal’s hand when it comes to the starting role.
The Canadiens took a big step forward last season when they reached the Eastern Conference Final.
Expectations in Montreal are higher than they’ve been in a long time thanks to a young core that appears primed to take another step forward this season.
However, things won’t get any easier for the Habs in the loaded Atlantic Division, especially after a slow start.
With captain Nick Suzuki sidelined, the Canadiens will need to be able to rely on solid goaltending on a nightly basis as they attempt to climb the standings.
FanDuel has their live regular season point total at over/under 98.5 this morning.
Montreal to make the playoffs is -156.
The Habs are second in the Atlantic with 16 points in 12 games, but they’re still the fourth choice to win the division at +700 – a pretty good number for anybody who believes their best is yet to come with Fowler in net.
The Canadiens will wrap up a four-game road trip against the Dallas Stars before returning home for a three-game home stand that begins against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
It will be interesting to see how the Habs manage Fowler’s workload coming off two epic performances.
Montreal’s rookie goaltender has forced his way into the early Calder Trophy conversation with an epic run.
If he continues to perform at an elite level, it could be the key to the Canadiens contending for first place in the Atlantic Division this season.
Have a great day, everyone!