Five trade destinations to watch for Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen

Credit: Jake Allen (© David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports)

With less than two months until the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline March 8, we’re delivering at least one deadline-focused story every day at Daily Faceoff.

Today, we’re exploring possible trade destinations for Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen.

2024 NHL Trade Deadline Countdown: 33 days

So much for the All-Star “break.” Two of the NHL’s most important seller teams this winter got to work last week, shipping out the No. 1 and No. 2 centers on the market in Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan. With the Montreal Canadiens sending the latter to the Winnipeg Jets, Habs GM Kent Hughes essentially opened business hours in his shop. Monahan probably won’t be the only piece Montreal moves between now and March 8.

If you’re wondering who’s next? Look to the crease, where the Habs have a logjam. Samuel Montembeault isn’t going anywhere; he’s extended for the next three seasons at a $3.15 million AAV. That leaves youngster Cayden Primeau and grizzled veteran backup Jake Allen. Of the two, Allen carries far more trade value to a contender looking for insurance between the pipes. Primeau, 24, has 32 NHL games to his name. Allen has 412, including 391 starts. He’s started at least half his team’s games in six of his 11 NHL seasons and carries a solid .908 career save percentage. He’s a respected dressing room guy who took it in stride when rookie Jordan Binnington nudged him aside to take over as No. 1 during the St. Louis Blues’ 2018-19 Stanley Cup run.

Given Primeau has to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL now and would almost certainly be claimed in that event, it makes too much sense for Montreal to cash out on Allen, 33. He carries a $3.85 million cap hit through the 2024-25 season. That means he isn’t the cheapest option out there. But he’s one of the safest, and it would be prudent for the Habs to move him while demand is high for a trustworthy 1B.

Who are the best fits for Allen? Some potential suitors could use him as an insurance policy, while others could bring him in to push their starters, so I feel the need to tier this list. If we’re wondering about a potential return: Casey DeSmith, one of the better backups in the league, returned Montreal Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick from the Vancouver Canucks when Hughes made that move this past September. If we factor in the potential competition for Allen’s services, a second-round pick is probably a fair ask.

1. The obvious fits

Colorado Avalanche

The Avs badly miss backup Pavel Francouz, who is lost to a season-ending groin injury. Alexandar Georgiev has gone from starting 75.6 percent of Colorado’s games last season to 83.6 percent this season. He leads the NHL in games and minutes played. Consequently, his save percentage has dropped from .918 to a career-worst .898 mark. On the Frankly Speaking podcast with Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Avs GM Chris MacFarland indicated Georgiev’s workload was a major concern and that a trade for a backup needed to happen. Given Allen’s experience level, he’d be an ideal add as a luxury backup.

The Avs are tight against the cap, but the Canadiens have one retained-salary slot left. All a team’s retained transactions combined are allowed to eat a maximum of 15 percent of the cap, and with their current two totalling only $4.09 million, they can afford to retain the maximum 50 percent of Allen’s cap hit, which would be $1.925 million.

Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers are a juggernaut, winning 16 consecutive games, playing vastly improved defense under new coach Kris Knoblauch. They’ve also been getting the saves they weren’t getting when Jay Woodcroft was behind the bench earlier this season. Since the coaching change, Stuart Skinner is 21-4-0 with a .925 SV% and two shutouts. He has solidified himself as the team’s No. 1, so the Oilers aren’t on the market for a replacement. But they have a real shot at winning a Stanley Cup this season, and Skinner imploded in the playoffs last year to the point he was pulled four times in 12 starts. While Calvin Pickard has looked competent in relief, he spent most of the last half-decade in the AHL and has never logged a minute of NHL playoff hockey in his career. Allen has 29 playoff games and 23 starts to his name, and his career postseason numbers are low-key outstanding: 2.06 goals-against average,.924 SV%. He would be a much safer insurance policy behind Skinner.

Making the money work would be a challenge for the cap-crunched Oilers, however. They still have $3.85 million of Jack Campbell’s buried $5 million on the cap – the exact same amount as Allen’s AAV. But Campbell has three years left on his deal after this one. Would Montreal really want to take on that albatross? I’d want a first-round pick if I were Hughes.

2. Hunting for a starter?

Carolina Hurricanes

The Canes theoretically have a real shot to win it all. They have the best shot-attempt share in the NHL, great special teams, you name it. They are the same team they have always been under coach Rod Brind’Amour. But between Frederik Andersen, Pyotr Kochektov and Antti Raanta, no one has stopped the puck for them. The Canes own the third-worst team save percentage in the NHL. In theory, they should be hunting for an upgrade if their current battery can’t get it done.

That said – Allen isn’t a star. He holds a .900 SV% in his four seasons as a Hab. It doesn’t feel like he’s a surefire upgrade over the crowded group Carolina employs, which also includes Spencer Martin. If the Canes make a move, they need dream bigger and target, for instance, Juuse Saros.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils find themselves in a similar spot to Carolina as a pre-season powerhouse that can’t get a save. New Jersey actually owns the worst team save percentage in the NHL. I’d love to see them land a star No. 1, but Vitek Vanecek, Akira Schmid and Nico Daws have played so poorly that even a 1B type like Allen might constitute a starting-worthy upgrade in net. Only problem: the Devils have a shot to contend for years to come once they get healthy, and it might not be wise to have Allen’s AAV carrying over into next year, with or without money retained. Feels like the Devils are better off grabbing a rental like Marc-Andre Fleury or chasing the best goalie potentially on the market in Saros.

3. Desperation play

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings looked like one of the best teams in the Western Conference until the New Year. They’ve since imploded to the point Drew Doughty called out teammates in a post-game presser and coach Todd McLellan got the axe a few days ago. So often, goalies make or break a coach’s tenure; after a tremendous first few months, Cam Talbot hit the skids in January, going winless with an .873 SV%. His 36-year-old body probably wasn’t meant to play as much as it has this season. The Kings made the coaching change in hopes of turning their season around, so perhaps GM Rob Blake doesn’t stop there. Would Allen make sense as a backup? It depends on whether the Kings believe David Rittich can maintain his recently elevated standard of play.

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