Buying Jake Allen may not be as profitable as you think

Kent Hughes makes no secret of it.

He told Pierre LeBrun’s podcast earlier this week thathe’s still looking to trade a goaltender…

And of course, Jake Allen comes to mind, because the veteran goaltender hasn’t been doing the job in front of the net for a while now.

However, we know that the 33-year-old’s contract complicates matters.

His cap hit of $3.85 million until the end of the 24-25 season may seem minimal to some… but in reality, it’s a disadvantage for Kent Hughes because it’s a lot of money for a goalie who doesn’t deliver the goods.

Every penny counts in the NHL, after all.

In the eyes of some, Kent Hughes must do whatever it takes to get rid of Allen because the three-way deal affects the development of Cayden Primeau and Samuel Montembeault, two young goalies who need to play in order to progress.

And since it seems to be really difficult to trade Allen at the moment, we might consider the possibility of seeing his contract bought out in the next few months.

That said, would this be advantageous for the Habs? Not necessarily.

If the Habs buy out Allen this summer, his cap hit on the Habs payroll for next season($2,316,667) would be greater than withholding 50% of his salary in any transaction.

There would also be a penalty in 2025-2026 (minimal, but still) when you look at the structure of a buyout in the summer of 2024 in the case of the goaltender :

It will be easier for Kent Hughes to trade the goalie this summer because right now, teams are almost already built for the playoffs.

But, above all… We’ve heard so often that Kent Hughes is waiting to get his price that he doesn’t really have the right to abandon plans to trade the goalie this summer.

What will happen is that Hughes will lose his bargaining power with the other GMs.

It would also be surprising to see Kent Hughes buy out Jake Allen, because he’s never bought out a player, and because the Habs aren’t one transaction away from winning the Stanley Cup.

The Habs are rebuilding, Allen is appreciated in the dressing room… But ideally, the Habs GM would find a partner to dance with this summer, and he’d keep 50% of Allen’s salary in a deal because his contract runs out in the summer of 2025.

This would allow the Habs to have less money on their payroll next season…

And it would prevent the Habs from having a penalty ($766, 667) on their payroll in the 2025-2026 season .

In gusto

– Penguins add depth.

– Great news.

– I really believe it.

Do you think Auston Matthews hits the 70-goal mark this season? pic.twitter.com/OSecV0mRpA

– BarDown (@BarDown) February 16, 2024

– What a great text by Jean-François Chaumont. Worth the detour!

– Good old Saku!

Habs legend Saku Koivu at an autograph signing in Finland pic.twitter.com/Tw5kQ7arLe

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) February 16, 2024