With three NHL-ready goalies on their roster, the Montreal Canadiens could soon be ready to make a deal with one of the many teams looking for some help between the pipes.
One of those teams is the Edmonton Oilers, who assigned their former starter Jack Campbell to the AHL earlier this week.
According to a new report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Edmonton’s front office has already inquired about a few goalies around the league, including Jordan Binnington, Juuse Saros, and Montreal’s own Jake Allen.
“They’ve talked to Montreal — which doesn’t need a goalie — about the possibility of Jake Allen,” Friedman wrote in the latest edition of his 32 Thoughts blog.
Friedman elaborated on the report, writing that he doesn’t expect a deal to be done in the immediate future.
“I don’t sense anything imminent,” he wrote.
Allen was the recipient of the Molson Cup for the first month of the season. In four games in October, the 33-year-old netminder had a 3-0-1 record, .930 SV%, and a 2.63 goals-against average.
His latest start wasn’t as impressive though, as he was pulled in Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning after allowing four goals in the first period.
Adding to the uncertainty of how the Canadiens may clear their crease, as things stand now, Edmonton is not Montreal’s only option for a partner in a goalie trade.
After it was announced on Monday that Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen would be out indefinitely due to a blood clotting issue, TSN insider Pierre LeBrun confirmed that the Habs could be involved in a deal.
“Carolina keeping an eye on the three goalie situations in Detroit, Montreal, among other places to see maybe that there’s a trade fit,” LeBrun said during an episode of Insider Trading on Tuesday.
Whether the Hurricanes are also interested in Allen is not known.
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