Jake Allen blocked a trade from Canadiens to Devils earlier this season

The New Jersey Devils had been in discussions with the Montreal Canadiens in hopes of acquiring Jake Allen for some time.

This past Friday, Allen agreed to waive his modified no-trade clause to accept a deal to the Devils. Earlier in the season, however, he wasn’t as keen on heading south to New Jersey.

Allen told reporters this afternoon that the Devils tried acquiring him earlier in the season. However, he nixed the deal, as he felt he wasn’t going to get much playing time in an organization that already had Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid under contract.

“It was interesting how that all unfolds,” Allen told reporters. “You sit down with your agent and sort of play things out. It was nothing about the Devils or the city in general. It was situations that I did not know if I could influence my future. I thought [New Jersey] had g0alies already signed here long-term. Obviously, things have changed a little bit.”

After starting the season with a Vanecek-Schmid duo, the Devils eventually called up Nico Daws from the AHL, hoping he could provide a spark. He failed to do so, leaving general manager Tom Fitzgerald with few options. He wound up trading a conditional third-round pick to the Canadiens for Allen on deadline day while bringing in San Jose Sharks goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen.

Allen has yet to suit up for the Devils due to visa issues but hopes to be ready for tomorrow’s outing against the Dallas Stars. In 21 appearances with the Canadiens this season, he put together a 3.65 goals against average (GAA) along with a .892 save percentage (SV%) and a 6-12-3 record. The Devils will need him to be at his best, as they currently sit six points shy of the New York Islanders for a wild-card position.

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