Jake Allen: the Kings’ turn to become a logical destination

For weeks now, we’ve been wondering when the three-way battle in front of the Canadiens’ net will come to an end. It complicates things for everyone, and it’s not an ideal situation overall.

Samuel Montembeault can’t play like a true #1, Cayden Primeau can’t play enough to develop properly and Jake Allen can’t find his rhythm, who admits he’s going through a difficult sequence.

Looking at the situation, Allen seems to be the most logical one to trade. The other two seem to have a future in Montreal, while Allen is probably closer to retirement than his two teammates. For a young team like the Habs, trading Allen makes more sense.

The question, however, is where he could be traded. We know that teams like the Maple Leafs, Hurricanes and Wild have health problems in front of the net, but so far, nothing has materialized.

Now, another team has joined the list of logical destinations for Allen: the Los Angeles Kings have just lost the services of Pheonix Copley for the season due to a knee injury, and we can expect them to be keen to look for another goaltender to replace him.

The Kings are a contender this season, and their 20-9-6 record so far this campaign shows they’re well on their way to a playoff spot. Cam Talbot is doing an excellent job as #1 goalie, but if the club wants to go all the way, a quality backup will become important.

Right now, it’s David Rittich who’s there “by default”, and Aaron Dell has signed a professional trial in the AHL. But for a team that wants to go far in the playoffs, improving at the backup goalie position wouldn’t be a luxury.

That’s precisely why a guy like Allen could help the Kings, as he’s experienced and likely to improve behind a defense that’s far more solid in Los Angeles than the one currently helping him in Montreal. And that’s not meant as a dig at the Habs’ defensemen: the Kings’ brigade is simply more “mature” and more experienced, it’s as simple as that.

Cayden Primeau could also interest them, but for the sake of argument, an experienced goaltender would be more interesting to an aspiring team than a “project” like Primeau might be. The Kings don’t have time to develop: they want to win.

So, we’ll see if a deal materializes, but we can add the Kings to the list of teams that need to talk to the Habs and other teams that have goalies to trade.

Jake Allen for Phillip Danault, Pierre-Luc Dubois and the $5-7M for games in Quebec City, do we have a deal? Hehehe.

Breaking news

– To be continued.

– Let’s hope it helps him get his season back on track.

Huberdeau scores a nice one! pic.twitter.com/TiUI54WF9q

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) January 6, 2024

– The Blackhawks claim Zach Sanford in the waivers. He’ll come in to help with the countless injuries in town, including Connor Bedard.

– Luke Richardson must think he’s seen worse in Montreal.

– A quick reminder/guide for those tuning in to NFL games today.

– It’s up to him to prove it.