Montreal Canadiens trade for Jake Allen
The Montreal Canadiens sneaked into the playoffs this season thanks to the altered format as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They took down the Pittsburgh Penguins in the play-in round in large part due to the stellar play of goaltender Carey Price. However, on Wednesday the Canadiens acquired another goaltender Jake Allen from the St. Louis Blues.
Allen spent his entire NHL career with the Blues, after being drafted by the club 34th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He helped the club win their first ever Stanley Cup in 2019 and featured in 24 regular season games this past year. The Canadiens acquired Allen along with a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft for a third-round pick and seventh-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
He is expected to work as Price’s backup goalie, helping to ease his workload during the regular season.
“I’m obviously really excited to be a Montreal Canadien now,” said the New Brunswick native on a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. “The role I’ll be playing is behind one of the best goalies in the world, and a guy who’s been a dominant force in the League. It’s to provide just another assurance for the team. I feel like I played that role last year very well behind [Jordan] Binnington; I thought I had a solid season. I’ve played quite a few years in the League and I have a lot of experience in different situations. I feel like I can come into this spot, give Carey breaks when he needs them and play well for the team and go from there. I’m looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity.”
Allen has spent time playing hockey in Montreal previously, having played with the Montreal Juniors from 2008-2010. The team also featured current Canadiens assistant coach Dominique Ducharm.
“It’s funny how it’s come full circle now – playing for the Montreal Junior in Verdun, and then playing in the NHL against the Canadiens and at the Bell Centre. It’s wild how it’s all sort of reinvented itself,” said Allen.
“Coming into a new team or organization, some familiarity makes everything a little bit more comforting. And for me, being from New Brunswick, it’s not overly far from home. I’ve lived in the city – I lived in NDG when I played Junior – I’ve played against the Habs, it’s a place where I’ve spent time in the offseason. There’s a lot of familiarity there that makes everything a little bit more at ease, no question, than going to a place you’re completely unfamiliar with. So to see Joël and Dom – I had those guys as coaches 12 years ago – back with the Canadiens organization, will be cool.”
The Habs were sitting in 12th in the Eastern Conference when the league was originally shut down in March due to the pandemic. They likely would have missed out on the postseason altogether had the NHL not been forced to alter its structure.
The league and players had agreed to a December 1st start date for the 2020-21 season with training camps starting on November 17th, but it remains to be seen whether they will be able to stick to that schedule. The league is currently wrapping up the second-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
