Stéphane Waite “would do anything” to send Jake Allen elsewhere

To be 100% honest, Jake Allen has been on a downward spiral for a few years now.

The veteran hasn’t had much success in net since joining the Montreal Canadiens, but he didn’t come to Montreal as a saviour either.

Even so, he’s fulfilling his role wonderfully. He supports the youngsters, he’s not afraid to have a voice in the dressing room, and even if Samuel Montembeault seems to be placed ahead of him in the organization’s hierarchy, he doesn’t mind.

All he wants is to see the guys around him improve. We’re talking about a good veteran Christie who’s already won the Stanley Cup with the Blues (2019) and knows what it takes to go all the way.

To me, that’s why the idea of trading him doesn’t make sense. All NHL clubs need a voice in the dressing room like Allen’s… And in Montreal, it’s even more important because the club is young and because the club still has a lot of miles to go before it gets to the stage it reached in St. Louis.

That said, we don’t all share the same opinion, and that’s fine. We agree that it would be boring if we were always of the same opinion…

But when I hear Stéphane Waite say openly that he’d “do anything” to send him elsewhere, it bothers me.

The former CH goalie backs up his point by saying that Cayden Primeau deserves the chance to make it in the NHL.

That’s true… But it’s not as if Primeau broke everything down there last year, and it’s not as if Primeau has already made his mark in the big league.

“If I’m the Habs, I’d do anything to pass on his contract somewhere”

But why? As if Jake Allen was hurting the CH… And as if Jake Allen’s role wasn’t important in town.

The CH needs its veterans, and the former Blues man is one of them. Apart from him, only David Savard can boast more than 10 years’ experience in the big league, and the youngsters need that support at some point.

It seems logical to me.

No, Allen’s contract is “perhaps” not favorable to the CH according to some. But I see it as if the Habs were paying an allowance to one of the older brothers in the family home…

And those who have been in that situation will tell me today how much that older brother has helped them in their lives in general.

Because that’s what it’s all about: Allen provides moral support to the guys in the bedroom and off the ice.

Why would we want to trade him… if his contract doesn’t affect the club’s situation, which is currently under reconstruction?

In gossip

– I love André Tourigny’s way of thinking.

– William Nylander = Brad Treliving’s priority.

– Welcome back, Bo!!!

Bo Bichette: DIFFERENCE MAKER 😤 pic.twitter.com/rgNT5VRzXE

– Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 9, 2023