Jake Allen: no offers because of salary cap

The Montreal Canadiens lost a very close game last night at the Bell Centre to the mighty Edmonton Oilers.

Despite putting up a good fight, the Habs were unable to end the Oilers’ winning streak, which extended to ten wins with yesterday’s 2-1 overtime victory over the Tricolore.

In the end, even though the Habs stayed in the game and forced overtime, they shot themselves in the foot by playing with fire.

Giving the Oilers six power plays and more than 40 shots is not a good idea.

Still, the Oilers deserved the game.

The biggest reason why the Habs managed to stay in the game the way they did was Samuel Montembeault’s performance.

Once again, the Quebec goaltender was excellent throughout, turning aside 39 of the 41 shots he faced.

It’s been pretty clear for several weeks now that Monty is the team’s number one goalie, and he continues to prove it with every start he gets.

He’s more than just a number-one goalie for the Habs.

As for the backup goalie position, well, that’s also been coming into focus over the past few weeks and games.

When you look at the uniform statistics for each of the goalies, it’s clear that Jake Allen is the man to beat, since he’s the one who’s been dragging his feet.

As Simon-Olivier Lorange has shown, Allen has only suited up for five of the Habs’ last ten games, being the starter for just two of them.

Primeau, meanwhile, has been in uniform for eight of the last ten games.

The Tricolore’s number 30 has really vindicated the Tricolore management’s decision not to lose him to the waivers for nothing.

In short, the hierarchy in front of the net is becoming clearer, as Cayden Primeau really seems to be used and seen as the team’s second goaltender.

In fact, according to our sources, Primeau has been informed by the club that he is indeed the Tricolore’s backup goalie.

Primeau has earned his place and tased veteran Jake Allen, who is logically the odd man out in front of the net.

That’s easy to say, but not so easy to manage.

The 33-year-old’s contract for another season after this one, worth $3.85 million a year, hinders a possible deal.

The salary cap prevents teams from acquiring a goaltender, which significantly reduces Allen’s value.

And knowing Kent Hughes, he’s not one to give away his players.

He has a fixed price, and he won’t lower it.

So we’ll have to see if Hughes ends up getting an offer to his liking between now and the trade deadline, because clearly, Allen needs to be traded to really make room for Cayden Primeau.

In a gust

– Nice win for the Laval Rocket yesterday afternoon.

Final score
Final score #GoRocket pic.twitter.com/pLpNM7N9Vz

– Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) January 13, 2024

– Artur Bertebiev remains perfect with yesterday’s knockout.

– Christian Mbili also won his fight thanks to a doctor’s stoppage in the 6ᵉ round.

– The Chiefs move on to the next round with a convincing win.

– In yesterday’s other NFL playoff game, the Texans were dominant against the Browns.

– The series continues today in the NFL. Here are the two games on the schedule.