The Montreal Canadiens are still running with three goalies, and the further we get into the season, regardless of the trade deadline on the horizon, it is looking less and less likely they are going to be able to trade one, Jake Allen in particular. To this point, Sam Montembeault has started 17 games, Allen has started 14 and Cayden Primeau has started eight. Of the three, there has become a clear order in which they should be playing games, but it isn’t how things have played out thus far.
Montembeault is continuing to prove why he should be the starter in Montreal and played the most among the three goaltenders, but Primeau should have surpassed Allen at this point. As the third-string goalie, Primeau has been fed to the wolves more than a handful of times and has held his own. Passing these tests are definitely something the Canadiens wanted to see out of the young goaltender before committing to him for the rest of this season and next. This wait, though, has seemingly cost the Canadiens.
There have been a number of teams in desperate need of a goaltender this season, and a veteran Allen could have been the perfect fit for them. Some of these teams have started to figure it out in net or have seen the play of Allen drop significantly and as a result are looking elsewhere for help. The Canadiens have blown their opportunity to trade Allen now, and I don’t believe they will be able to this season unless he drastically improves his play over the next month-and-a-half leading up to the Mar. 8 Deadline (from “Canadiens weekly notebook: Jake Allen on rumours, Brendan Gallagher’s different paths,” The Athletic, Dec. 11, 2023).
Allen’s Decline & Teams That Are Likely Looking Elsewhere
As of this writing, on Jan. 9, 2024, Allen has recorded just one win since Oct. 28, 2023. He is 1-8-1 in that span and there is a good reason why he has barely been playing. In just four of those 10 games did he even record a .900 save percentage (SV%) or better, and he has pulled once. In eight of those 10 games, Allen has allowed three or more goals.
On the season, Allen has the worst win/loss record among the Canadiens goalies at 4-8-2. He finished with a SV% north of .900 in four of his first five starts and this would have been the best time to trade him. Even after a few more losses, when teams started to really need the help in net, it still would have been a good time. Either his value has dropped too far for a trade to even be worth it in the Canadiens’ eyes right now, or teams that may have been in conversation regarding the veteran have likely cut off communication by now.
On the Dec. 29 edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Elliotte Friedman noted five teams that are buyers on the goalie market and five teams that are sellers. While the Canadiens were listed as sellers due to Allen, the teams who were — and very likely still are — interested in acquiring a goalie this season include the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings. For their own reasons, each team could have used an experienced NHL veteran who has shown good stuff in the past and until he started struggling in Montreal part way through this season.
Any move involving Allen would have had to include cap retention since his cap hit is $3.85 million average annual value. Even half of his current cap hit would be acceptable for teams in need to acquire if he weren’t struggling as much as he is. For the numbers he’s been putting up, veteran leadership isn’t worth as much as he would cost to acquire and the hit against the cap. Teams like the Maple Leafs, Oilers, Hurricanes and Devils could all use that veteran presence behind their more inexperienced younger goalie, but only if Allen was proving he wasn’t falling off at the worst time. Unless a team at a later time is more desperate than those four teams just mentioned are, the Canadiens have blown their opportunity to make a deal this season that sees Allen moved.
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