In his first game with the Devils, Jake Allen was brilliant in front of goal.
It’s worth remembering that it all got off to a very bad start, when he allowed two lizards in the first eight minutes of the game…
But he redeemed himself afterwards, finishing the game with 35 saves on 37 shots.
The Devils had been looking for a goalie for a long time, and adding an experienced guy like Allen could help, because the team is young in New Jersey.
The club was actually interested in Allen’s services at the start of the season and tried to deal for him, but the goalie stalled the transaction process because he didn’t feel he was going to get the playing time he wanted…
That said, interest in the goalie wasn’t necessarily high across the NHL, and the Devils appear to be the only club that was serious about Allen.
Pierre LeBrun, on BPM Sports, shared some information on the recent transaction:
There were teams calling to ask what was going on, but this was the first (concrete) offer to the Habs for Jake Allen all season. – Pierre LeBrun
LeBrun goes on to say that he has spoken to the Devils and that the plan in New Jersey is to play Allen next year.
This would be in the second goaltender position, because the goal is to get a big name in front of the net this summer:
On Laraque-Gonzalez, Pierre LeBrun spoke about the Jake Allen deal and denied a rumor that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to Boston. 🧐
Full segment here: https://t.co/botdc7af26 pic.twitter.com/9vcDNiEkkt
– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) March 15, 2024
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This isn’t necessarily surprising because we know what the problem was with Allen.
There was his contract, which played a big part in the balance… And I get the impression that his poor performances this season also played a role in all this.
At the end of the day, however, Kent Hughes pulled off a magic trick.
We didn’t expect him to be able to trade the goalie, and the Devils are happy to have a goalie with NHL experience.
In the end, everyone wins.
Note that Pierre LeBrun also put in a good word for Pierre-Luc Dubois at the beginning of his column…
And the informant denied the rumours that were sending him to Boston:
False rumour about Pierre-Luc Dubois… But not false rumour that the Bruins were trying to trade Linus Ullmark.
Those are two separate things. – Pierre LeBrun
In gossip
– It would be special.
Will Marc-André Fleury lead the Wild into the playoffs? https://t.co/6pFKbWCmBS
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 15, 2024
– The Stars would like to keep Chris Tanev long-term.
I had a nice chat with #TexasHockey GM Jim Nill. I’ll have more on that convo later, but on the addition of Chris Tanev, Nill’s thinking long-term:
“Yeah, that’s what I’m hoping. … he’s definitely a guy that if we can make it work, we’d love to bring him back here.”
– David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 15, 2024
– With good reason.
Bruce Cassidy condemns his men’s “mediocre” play: https://t.co/wdtJeFUhsA
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 15, 2024
– We must!
CF Montréal | Surprise effect or not, the team “keeps the same mentality” https://t.co/65LFq8nefg
– La Presse Sports (@LaPresse_Sports) March 15, 2024