The Jake Allen Situation

     Jake Allen has proven his worth with the Canadiens time and time again. As a goaltender on a chaotic team, he has stayed steady and calm through all the situations he has been involved in. For a goaltender who only makes $2.85 million a year, he is widely considered a 42-game goaltender, someone who you can rely on to take on more responsibility than a backup goaltender could. 

Allen played 35 games with the Canadiens last season. Even with a 9-20-4 record, he managed to keep a save percentage of .905, which is more than impressive considering how bad the team around him was. It's easy to forget that he was the St. Louis Blues' starting goaltender just three years ago and was a fan favourite for a reason. Jake the Snake has always been clutch. 

With the recent talks of an incoming extension, it prompts the question. What is Jake Allen's future in Montreal? According to Eric Macramalla of TSN, "This is Jake Allen's last season in Montreal." If we take this as fact, we can make some predictions regarding the purpose of his extension. If the Habs can convince Allen to take a team-friendly contract (something under $3.5 million), his value will be high, especially if he has a successful first half of the season. Many teams need a goaltender that can be trusted between the pipes and not break the bank. Jake Allen is an extremely attractive player if you are a contending team that needs some security at the backup position.  

My prediction for the trade is that he is dealt at the deadline and not before the start of the season. That is unless management feels better about Cayden Primeau than the fans do. There has been speculation about Nils Lundkvist of the New York Rangers. With a tandem of Jake Allen and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers would have one of the best goaltender pairings in the league and arguably the one with the best dollar value. I believe that Kent Hughes would love to include Jake Allen in a deal for Lundkvist, meaning the tandem for the Habs may be Montembault and Primeau for the majority of the season. A pairing that seems like a good recipe for a top-five pick...

Go Habs Go

The Beer League Benchwarmer,

Will Shoukri