It took five months and 63 games, but Kent Hughes finally managed to put an end to the menage a trois in front of his team’s net. It was his Devils counterpart, Tom Fitzgerald, who raised his hand to acquire Jake Allen.
In return for the 33-year-old goaltender, the Devils gave a conditional third-round pick in 2025 to the Habs. If Allen plays at least 40 games during the 2024-25 season and the Devils qualify for the playoffs, this pick will become a second round.
For the deal to go through, Hughes had to agree to withhold 50% of Allen’s salary. We are talking about $1.925 million for the next campaign.
This is the end of a long series. An ending that we no longer expected due to the setbacks experienced by the goalkeeper from Fredericton this winter.
“Jake’s reputation in the NHL is quite established,” maintained the general manager, not adhering to the theory that these difficulties complicated his task. “During the season, several goalkeepers were available.”
“Yet teams that needed a goalie waited,” he continued, maintaining that the phone only started ringing this week for Allen. For the better part of a year, everyone believed Edmonton and Caroline would do something. But they did nothing.”
Besides, the plan wasn’t always to trade Allen. It was Primeau’s outfit that convinced the Habs staff that this was the decision to make to put an end to the existence of this trio.
“It could have been Sam [Montembeault], if we had not managed to sign him, explained Hughes. And with Cayden playing well and the rebuilding of our team, the ideal was to trade Jake.
Wishes for happiness
Acquired in September 2020, in a transaction with the Blues, Allen played 127 games in the Canadian uniform, presenting a record of 41 wins against 68 losses and 15 others in shootouts.
It was in his capacity as assistant to Carey Price, during his first season in Montreal, that he experienced his best moments.
“I loved playing with Price, even if it was brief. And of course, there are the series [et la présence en finale] in 2021, said Allen, on TVA Sports. I really hope that this group of players can one day lift the Stanley Cup at the Bell Centre. I wish I could look back and say I contributed a little bit to that.”
Helping the team progress while knowing he wouldn’t be around to reap the benefits has always been a focus for Allen since the team’s new management embarked on a rebuilding period.
Which is to the veteran’s credit.
“He has been a true professional throughout his time with us. He was not focused on himself. He helped us set the guidelines for the team to go in the right direction,” Hughes said. I can’t say enough good things about him. We will miss him.”
A bad for a good
To his colleagues at TVA Sports, the masked man nevertheless recognized that life with three goalkeepers had not always been easy.
“I learned that I was patient,” he said. It wasn’t easy, but we were all in the same situation. It was not a decision over which we had any power. We had to make sure we were ready when our name was called. Sam is having a really good season and he deserves to play more, in my opinion.”
No, the situation was not ideal. But, like Martin St-Louis, Hughes likes to note the positive aspects of an apparently negative situation.
“In some ways it probably helped us. She allowed Cayden [Primeau] in fact his entrance slowly instead of being thrown into the limelight, analyzed Hughes. Because of his qualities as a role model and the lessons he was able to pass on to our two young goalies, we are lucky to have had him until the trade deadline.
The ball is now in the court of the two young goalkeepers. Now the net is theirs.