Trade soon to be announced between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning? A proposal involving Jake Allen emerges
According to several observers, the Canadiens are seriously considering the possibility of keeping three goalies in their lineup at the start of the season: Samuel Montembeault, Jake Allen, and Cayden Primeau.
Why? Because the top brass firmly believes that the 24-year-old American goalie will be claimed if he has to go through waivers.
However, this situation is clearly not ideal for the young netminder's development, as he would get hardly any starts with the main team. Samuel Montembeault and Jake Allen will surely share the workload this year, forcing Martin St-Louis to leave Cayden Primeau in the stands.
However, analyst Andrew Berkshire may have found a solution that could benefit the organization. Indeed, he suggests that the CH's general manager, Kent Hughes, try to trade Jake Allen to the Tampa Bay Lightning to allow Cayden Primeau to back up Samuel Montembeault in 2023-2024.
Let's recall that the Lightning's general manager, Julien Brisebois, is desperately seeking a new goaltender to compensate for the loss of Andrei Vasilevskyi, who will be out for a minimum of 8 to 10 weeks.
Jake Allen could be a very appealing option for the first two months of the regular season, and would also be a solid number two upon the star goalie's return. However, the 34-year-old veteran still has a two-season contract with an annual salary of $3.85 million, which could complicate matters for the Lightning.
Could we see a three-team trade with a team willing to retain 50% of Jake Allen's salary?
One thing's for sure, such a trade would give the Lightning stability in goal while allowing Cayden Primeau to truly establish himself in the NHL. The Canadiens could also save a few million dollars in cap space.
This will be a situation to watch closely over the next few days!
| POLL | ||
Would you trade Jake Allen for a 3rd round pick? | ||
| Yes | 97 | 57.4 % |
| No | 72 | 42.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
