Montreal Canadiens goalie Jake Allen may have lost 4-3 to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 17. However, he certainly looked better than he did in his last game, a 7-2 defeat to the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 11. It’s a step in the right direction if the Habs want to build up his value ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, and, they should, as he should arguably be the top priority for general manager Kent Hughes.
That’s why conflicting reports of an Allen-to-Colorado Avalanche trade last week must have been frustrating for Canadiens fans. They were theoretically this close to move him only for nothing to happen. Hypothetically though? If something were to get done between the two teams? What could the Habs realistically get in exchange?
3. Mid-to-Late-Round Draft Pick
Most probably have their heart set on something sexier, but if the Canadiens end up with a mid-round draft pick they should count their lucky stars. It’s not because Allen’s especially bad. The market for goalies is pretty horrible, though.
Coincidentally, the last trade involving a goalie took place when the Canadiens dealt Casey DeSmith to the Vancouver Canucks last offseason (per the TSN NHL Trade Tracker). The Habs got a third-round pick and Tanner Pearson back. That Pearson played just 14 games in 2022-23 and has just 10 points in 36 games this season kind of plays into the argument the pick was the centrepiece for the Habs.
Related: Likeliest Canadiens Forwards on the Move After Pearson Trade
On top of that, consider how Allen himself fetched a third-round pick when the Canadiens acquired him from the Blues back in 2020 (with the two teams flipping seventh-round picks too). He was also coming off his best season statistically (as a backup). That was also almost four years ago, a time span during which Allen’s numbers have cratered, albeit playing for a poor defensive team in the Habs.
With that in mind, no one should think Hughes has something up his sleeve. Whatever he gets for Allen, great. Just losing the contract is the real priority at this point.
2. Future Considerations
The reason trading Allen is a priority is simple. The three-goalie rotation is less than ideal. Obviously, the Canadiens didn’t want to risk losing Cayden Primeau for nothing, by exposing him to waivers to start the season. So, they kept him on the roster.
One reason that may be is the Canadiens simply wanted to keep Primeau as a goalie they had spent several seasons developing. He’s arguably held up his end of the bargain by meeting realistic expectations with a 5-5-1 record, 3.07 goals-against average (GAA) and .903 save percentage (SV%). The Canadiens haven’t as much with that aforementioned record of his equating to 12 appearances in all.
If the goal had been to further Primeau’s development, it’s arguably been unsuccessful. If the goal has been to build up Primeau’s value for a trade (instead of trading Allen), same result. In one fell swoop, the Canadiens have also arguably prevented their de facto starter, Samuel Montembeault, from getting in a groove, having to balance starts for all three of their goalies.
So, no one has really won in this experiment, including the Canadiens overall. Considering Primeau has arguably played as well as Allen, is younger and cheaper and has more upside at this point of his career (compared to where Allen is in his), the Habs had the right idea keeping the former, just the wrong execution.
However, Hughes should avoid prolonging the status quo to hopefully salvage Primeau’s career, even if he amounts to just a backup. Allen has another season under contract, meaning there is a definite risk that happens. As such, they should be so lucky as to be able to trade Allen, even with nothing coming back in exchange… ironically the same situation they seemed to try to avoid with Primeau.
1. Ryan Johansen
The Canadiens shouldn’t necessarily want Ryan Johansen in exchange for Allen from the Avalanche. However, it could realistically be the one way they get the deal done, considering they’re likely each unwanted deals of around the same cap hit, each having one year left before they expire.
For some context, Johansen has never quite been able to replicate his career-high 33-goal season in 2013-14 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a campaign that hilariously in retrospect led to a contract dispute. The Blue Jackets eventually traded him to the Nashville Predators for Seth Jones, putting together good seasons here and there. However, considering the Avs acquired him last June for Alex Galchenyuk (who had not yet suffered his meltdown, but was still no longer the player he was… and on an expiring contract to boot), it stands to reason he had worn out his welcome.
The Preds also retained half Johansen’s salary in the transaction, bringing his cap hit to $4 million (instead of $8 million). Allen’s is in the same neighbourhood at $3.85 million. The theory had been that the Avs were looking for Johansen to be their second-line centre, but he’s been outplayed by Ross Colton, who himself has just 29 points.
That should tell you all you need, but, put simply, Johansen’s 11 goals and eight assists have underwhelmed. So, could the Canadiens find a use for him where the Avs have failed? Well, they’re in a position where they’re at least temporarily thin down the middle, with Kirby Dach and Christian Dvorak out the rest of the season.
As a result, Jake Evans, their usual fourth-line centre, was at one point played on the second line. So, long story short, the Canadiens could use Johansen as a body. The hypothetical deal would probably push Brandon Gignac out of the lineup, though. So it becomes a question of whether the Canadiens see more in Gignac or Primeau.
Realistically, there isn’t room for Gignac in a world in which the Canadiens are completely healthy. That’s probably a hard concept to process, but, if the Habs are as hurt down the middle as they are and all they can offer Gignac is a fourth-line role, it’s probably a sign.
To be clear, dollar for dollar, Gignac at $775,000 is probably worth more to the Canadiens than Johansen would be at $4 million. With the salary cap and penalties in place to prevent contracts from being buried, hard decisions must be made, though. However, if an offer arises to move on from the three-goalie rotation, they should take it and run. Johansen isn’t a good return by any stretch, but he is a fair one, and Hughes and Habs fans expect anything else at this point.
