The Montreal Canadiens may have run over the Ottawa Senators on the Saturday night scoreboard, but that game could have been much closer. The Habs enjoyed an excellent conversion rate on their scoring chances, but the Senators were the busier team in terms of output. One key player made sure that the shot count didn’t matter, however.
Jake Allen was the difference maker in this one, stopping 29 of 30 shots including some highlight reel stops.
“How about no.” – Jake Allen pic.twitter.com/5p4rjPjsBZ
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) March 20, 2022
“How about also no.” – Jake Allen pic.twitter.com/VMvngEXrLV
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) March 20, 2022
The fact that this performance comes two days before the deadline really makes me wonder if Allen could be on the move. There are teams out there who could use a goaltender to help them go on a playoff run, and that he’s not at all looking like a goaltender who missed most of the season should pique the interest of some of those teams.
Kent Hughes said he has no plans to trade any of his goaltenders, but we’ll have to wait and see if someone offers enough for Allen to change his mind. It’s not that I don’t believe Hughes, it’s that saying “I have no plans” is very different from saying “I will not do this.” Looking at the trade market so far, it’s a sellers market, and I do believe his door will be open for offers.
He’s healthy, and his reasonable AAV should make it easy for even contending teams to fit him on their roster. If any goaltender in the Montreal room is to entice a juicy offer, it has to be Allen, and his performance last night just might be the push that interested parties needed.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available on your podcast platform of choice. We’ll return following Monday’s rivalry game against the Boston Bruins.
