The Montreal Canadiens are wasting no time in preparing for next season. Today, the organization made a splash in their goaltending department, trading for Jake Allen.
Montreal also received a 2022 seventh-round draft pick from the Blues.
In exchange for the netminder, the St. Louis Blues will receive a third-round pick and seventh-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Allen has spent his entire career with the Blues, joining the team as a 22-year-old in 2012. In his career, Allen is 148-94-26 with a 2.50 GAA and .913 SV%.
Allen is signed through next season with a cap hit of $4.35 million.
While the Canadiens’ goalie depth chart is crowded, this is a move that certainly helps the Canadiens (at least for this season). Carey Price is 1A in the blue paint, with Allen becoming 1B. With that being said, there won’t be a night off for Montreal in the crease with either goalie in net.
It’s a steep price to pay for a goalie tandem, but Montreal also has Keith Kinkaid ($1.75 Million) and Steve Mason ($1.35 Million) coming off the books, so the Canadiens aren’t making a great jump in salary for Allen.
Cayden Primeau and Charlie Lindgren seem to be the future of the Canadiens’ goaltending, in a backup position. Primeau was the backup to Price this season. This trade could be a potential one-year move where we see Allen plucked from the Seattle Kraken in the future.
Montreal dealt picks that were originally acquired in a different trade. The third-round pick was from the Washington Capitals, while the seventh-rounder was acquired from Chicago.
This trade helps the Canadiens in the blue paint, but it also helps the Blues. St. Louis is trying to sign Alex Pietrangelo, and Allen’s salary coming off the books helps the Blues get into better financial positioning. Pietrangelo is an unrestricted free agent but is also the current Captain of the Blues.
Like Allen, Pietrangelo has spent his entire career with the Blues but is hitting the open market for the first time. Some teams reportedly interested in the Candian defenceman are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Winnipeg Jets.
Focusing back on Allen, he played for Canada at the World Juniors and Spengler Cup. He also played for the Montreal Junior Hockey Club in the QMJHL and won the Best Goaltender award at the World U18 Championships.