Jake Allen signed a two-year, $7.7 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. It has a mean annual worth of $3.85 million and runs during the 2024-25 season.
“Nothing changes for me with this contract for things like that from a hockey perspective,” Allen stated. “We’re going to have some young players back there but we’ve got some savvy veterans as well. I understand where we’re trying to go with this team and my job’s to try to be a leader back there, be a stable presence in the net and sort of continue what I’ve been doing the last couple of years here, and nothing really changes from that front for me personally.”
The 32-year-old goalie used to be 9-20-4 with a three.30 goals-against moderate, .905 save proportion and two shutouts in 35 video games remaining season. He used to be traded to the Canadiens through the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 2, 2020 and used to be the backup to Carey Price when Montreal reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, dropping in 5 video games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Allen is anticipated to proportion the goalie tasks with both Sam Montembeault or Cayden Primeau this season. Canadiens basic supervisor Kent Hughes stated in August that Price will probably be put on LTIR as a result of a knee harm.
“I’ll never fill Carey’s shoes, I’m blunt in saying that,” Allen stated. “I never will. I don’t have the talent and the game that Carey Price has, but I have my own game and that’s what … has brought me to success in this league, consistency, and it’s been a good couple of years for me here personally. I’m just going to try to continue that. I understand where we’re going, what direction, what we’re trying to do, and I’m not going to be someone that I’m not in the next couple of years here. I’m just going to be me and I think they value that here and I value what they’re trying to do.”
The Canadiens completed with the worst document within the NHL remaining season, going 22-49-11, resulting in questions on Allen’s long term with the crew. He used to be coming into the overall season of a two-year contract.
“I want to be part of this process, I really do,” Allen stated. “I think since management, organization changed over last year I really see what they’re trying to build here and I want to be a part of it, and I signed up for that and I think that was part of signing extension here. I feel like I want to leave this jersey in a better spot than when I then I put it on.”
A second-round select (No. 34) within the 2008 NHL Draft through the St. Louis Blues, Allen is 168-126-35 with a 2.60 GAA, .911 save proportion and 23 shutouts in 353 regular-season video games (333 begins) with the Blues and Canadiens. He is 11-11-1 in 29 Stanley Cup Playoff video games (23 begins) with a 2.06 GAA and .924 save proportion. Allen helped the Blues win their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019, defeating the Boston Bruins in seven video games.
NHL.com unbiased correspondent Sean Farrell contributed to this file