Former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen has been red-hot since being traded.
Dealt to the New Jersey Devils just hours before the NHL trade deadline, the Canadiens received a conditional third-round pick in exchange for the veteran goalie.
And while his numbers had been steadily dwindling with the Habs over the past three years, Allen has been named the first star in two of the three games he’s started for his new club.
The New Brunswick native’s most recent start saw him perform highway robbery on none other than Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
š± JAKE ALLEN š±
NOT JUST ONE, BUT TWO INCREDIBLE SAVESā¼ļø pic.twitter.com/9HtBOl9OjD
— NHL (@NHL) March 19, 2024
Riding a record of 2-1-0 since arriving in the Garden State on March 8, Allen has posted a showstopping 2.01 GAA and a ridiculous .946%. Those stats are a far cry from the 3.65 GAA and .892 SV% he had been riding in Montreal beforehand.
The Habs infamously held on to a three-goalie trio of Allen, Sam Montembeault, and Cayden Primeau for most of the year, trying to maximize Allen’s value before dealing him.
Unfortunately, when it came time to trade the eldest of the bunch, Allen, who waived his modified no-trade clause ahead of the deal, did not hold much value on the market. As a result, the handcuffed Habs ā not wanting to keep up their three-goalie fiasco ā agreed to retain half of Allen’s $3.85 million cap hit.
As for the conditions of the pick they received from the Devils, the third-rounder in the 2025 Draft could become a second-round selection if Allen plays in 40 or more games for New Jersey next season.
And with the start he’s had, that’s a real possibility.
In the meantime, though, Allen will try to keep up the heroics as Jersey tries to improve their 33-32-4 record in order to grab the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.