The Montreal Canadiens have far from figured out their goalie situation. What we can assume from Sam Montembeault’s recent contract extension is that he is the most likely of the three goaltenders on the roster to be staying put. The other two are Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau.
The Canadiens have tried to get all of their goalies some starts as of late. But while they are hoping everyone does well, there just might be a little more of an incentive to cheer for Allen to play well and win. This is because his name has come up as one of the potential Canadiens being shopped this season.
With Montembeault signed, the team not yet giving Primeau the best look, and the Canadiens still being in a rebuilding phase, Allen is a veteran that will garner some attention and could realistically be traded. He has one more year on his deal after this one at a cap hit of $3.85 million AAV (average annual value). Unless a team will be without their starter and have money available, the Canadiens will be retaining some of that if they move him. There have been a number of teams around the league linked to the Canadiens in regards to an Allen trade this season, so let’s take a look at every single one of them.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes may be in a playoff spot right now, but they are far below where anyone expected them to be or where they should be with their lineup. Before the season, this defensive group was praised for how good it looked, while the forward group has a number of strong two-way players.
The Hurricanes have been a great defensive team for years now and head coach Rob Brind’Amour expects a lot of his players. This is what is so confusing about this season. The team ranks 21st in the league in goals against with 110 in 35 games (3.14 per game). Recently, veteran Antti Raanta was sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Hurricanes recalled Yaniv Perets to back up Pyotr Kochetkov. Raanta played two games in the AHL, recording a .875 save percentage (SV%) while Perets didn’t see any ice time in the NHL. This was until Carolina made the switch back.
With Kochetkov sporting a .899 SV% this season and Raanta having a .854 SV%, the need for a goalie is very high in Carolina. Frederik Andersen is dealing with a blood-clotting issue and is without a return date. The only other plan the Hurricanes had was singing Aaron Dell to a professional tryout (PTO), but he is a third string goalie at best. Allen has proven he can perform well in the NHL, even if he hasn’t been great recently. The Hurricanes are a much better team than the Canadiens and this would be a fix for the rest of the season at the very least. As revealed by Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada, the Hurricanes are definitely looking around for a goaltender.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings have been pleasantly surprised by their free-agent-signing Cam Talbot. He has been rejuvenated playing behind a strong defensive team and has put up very good numbers this season. He is carrying most of the load in net and now that Pheonix Copley is out for an unspecified amount of time, there is a need for some help in net behind Talbot.
Kevin Weekes reported the Kings are looking to add a “#3 type goalie”, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Copley’s return. Right now, David Rittich is backing up and will get a few starts, but he is not someone the Kings — a Stanley Cup contender — want to have to count on if Talbot goes down to injury. This isn’t a season that the team wants to waste if something happens in net. Allen has proven he can start for stretches and play well on top of that.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are another team that has had defensive/goalie struggles this season. Like the Hurricanes, they don’t allow a ton of shots on goal. This can make the save percentage numbers look worse, but regardless, the goalies need to stop a higher percentage of pucks if they don’t see a ton of shots every night.
What is concerning is Vitek Vanecek’s SV% at .885 and Akira Schmid’s SV% at .893. Since Schmid is still able to be sent down without going through waivers, the Devils just decided to send him to the AHL to get some confidence and find his game. Recalled in his place was Nico Daws, another 23-year-old. The Devils can’t expect another young goalie to come in and take them deep into the playoffs. They were stopped well short of their goal last season after the pressure or high level of hockey caught up to Schmid in the playoffs. As Vanecek isn’t that old or experienced either, Allen could be a solution. On Insider Trading, Pierre LeBrun said that a couple of teams will circle back after the Christmas break, the Devils being one of them.
Buffalo Sabres
The goaltending situation for the Buffalo Sabres has been odd this season. The team believed that Devon Levi was ready, but he struggled to start the season. They sent him down and almost immediately brought him back up after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got injured. Levi has since played very well and I don’t think they can warrant sending him back to the AHL again.
Luukkonen has been strong for the most part, but the organization still sees Levi as their future in net. Luukkonen has the potential to at least split starts over a full season and perform well. I’m not sure that will be in Buffalo. Eric Comrie on the other hand is the clear third string in Buffalo and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is even sent to the AHL eventually.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reported that the Senators “have been looking to add a goalie” and “may have sniffed around Allen.” (from INSIDER TRADING: GM Brad Treliving never rests in search to help the Leafs’ defensive core, Ottawa Sun, 12/5/2023). I wonder how a trade would work between the two clubs, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Canadiens actually give something extra up so that they could get Luukkonen in return to split starts with Montembeault. A veteran presence is needed in net in Buffalo. Allen might be the way they get one.
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken have come off a very impressive campaign where they not only made the playoffs in only their second season, but knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions and advanced to the second round. They arguably overachieved, and without star power, as strong of forward depth, and goalie issues, are right back near the bottom of the standings.
This hasn’t stopped the team from thinking there’s more than enough time to stay in the playoff race. The team lost Martin Jones in the offseason and Joey Daccord was the team’s backup until Philipp Grubauer got injured; Daccord was promoted to the starter and has actually held the Kraken in games. Seattle needs help in net though as Grubauer is listed as week-to-week and Chris Driedger is backing up. He just played his first game since 2021, recording a win with only one goal against, but that is much too small of a sample size. Bruce Garrioch also noted that the Kraken have reached out to the Canadiens about their goaltending situation. With Daccord being the younger and more inexperienced goalie, I think the only logical reason why the Kraken reached out is involving Allen, a veteran with lots of experience that Daccord can lean on.
Colorado Avalanche
Before the season even started, Pavel Francouz was injured and didn’t play. In mid-November, his status was updated to out for the season. When he couldn’t start the season, the Colorado Avalanche had to pivot and pick up Ivan Prosvetov off of waivers. He has worked out fairly well for them in a backup role thus far, but is very inexperienced. If starter Alexandar Georgiev goes down to injury at the wrong time, it could mean the end of the season for the Avalanche. At the very least, depth is a good thing to have.
Not only is depth needed in net, adding a veteran piece could work out well for the Avalanche. It is true that Georgiev is being overworked. If Allen is acquired sooner rather than later, that wouldn’t be the case. Jesse Granger of The Athletic noted Allen would be a good fit for the Avalanche. They have a bit of money and would be able to trust Allen behind Georgiev (from ‘NHL trade board matchmaking: Which teams need a goalie, and who might fit where?’, The Athletic, 12/4/2023).
Edmonton Oilers
The final team that has been mentioned alongside Allen is the Edmonton Oilers. This is another team clearly needs some help in net. Jack Campbell has been nothing but disappointing since being signed by the Oilers before last season and the team sent him down to the AHL a while ago. Since then, his numbers have not gotten any better and he has lost his starting job in the AHL. With Calvin Pickard as the backup to a young and inexperienced Stuart Skinner, the team needs a 1B goalie to split starts.
Allen is the man for that job and the Oilers have done everything from scouted to have discussions with the Canadiens about the goaltending. The Oilers are tight on cap, so the team would have to get a little creative, but the Oilers are very desperate to climb back into the playoffs. Starting in February, they have a ton of games jam-packed into the remaining days of the season. This will include back-to-backs and a game every other day. Skinner will be well past worn out if he doesn’t get some days off. Friedman had confirmed that Allen was on the Oilers’ radar.
Related: Canadiens’ Montembeault Extension Indicates Allen Will Be Traded
The Canadiens are going to have no shortage of options to move Allen if they so choose. As the season progresses, there may even be more desperation by some and the Canadiens can get what they’re asking for. Until then, I’m going to assume they are asking for too much and that’s part of the reason why he is still with Montreal.