Bottom Six Minutes: Jake Allen’s trade value is on the rise

The Montreal Canadiens had no business beating the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. The officiating was atrociously one-sided in favour of Detroit, and even when the Habs weren’t being paraded to the box, they were outplayed by the home team at even-strength as well. Even with perfect officiating — assuming that exists — it still would have been incredibly difficult to win.

But with everything pointing to a loss, Jake Allen decided willed things in a different direction.

He was magnificent in net for the Habs, making 41 saves through regulation and overtime to allow his team the opportunity to win the game in the shootout. He faced everything Detroit had to offer, was the lynchpin for a perfect 7-0 penalty kill, and even stared down Dylan Larkin during a first-period penalty shot.

It was just another stellar performance in what has been an incredibly hot start for the netminder. He has proven that he still has the ability to straight up steal games for his team, but the problem is that the Canadiens aren’t in a position this season where stealing games here and there is likely to help them.

And so, you have to wonder if they would be considering the possibility of trading him. It seems unlikely that Kent Hughes inked a two-year extension with Allen at the beginning of October just to trade him a month later, but it must at least be explored. He could be the team’s best bargaining chip if he can keep last night’s kind of performance coming.

There are some potentially contending teams with shaky goaltending situations. Yes, they Habs commited an additional two years to Allen, but with even that deal coming in under $4 million AAV, he could be an attractive option for teams who see their cup window being longer than just this season.

The longer Allen can keep this up, the more likely it seems that Hughes will be getting calls about him. If those calls come, I believe the Habs should be ready to deal, as he could end up getting them a great haul for the rebuild.

Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available on your podcast platform of choice. Quick turnaround this time, as we’re back again after tonight’s Vancouver Canucks visit to the Bell Centre.