He will be the team's No. 1 goalie again this season with Carey Price on the long-term injured reserve list because of knee injury.
Author of the article:
Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette
GM Kent Hughes announced Saturday morning that the Canadiens have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with goalie Jake Allen.
The deal will have an annual salary-cap hit of US$3.85 million.
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The 32 year-old goalie is heading into the final season of a two-year contract with a salary-cap hit of $2.875 million.
Allen will be the Canadiens’ No. 1 goalie this season with Carey Price on the long-term injured reserve list because of knee injury. Price isn’t expected to play this season and might never play again.
Last season — when Price was limited to five games because of his knee injury — Allen posted a 9-20-4 record with a 3.30 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. In two preseason games this year, Allen has allowed one goal on 29 shots while playing just under 60 minutes.
Allen spoke about having started talks with the Canadiens about a contract extension at the team’s golf tournament on Sept. 12.
“The most I’d like to say is is we’ve had talks,” Allen said at the time. “We’ll really leave it at that. These things sort of go one way or the other, but we’ve definitely had communication and that’s it for now.”
As for starting the season as the No. 1 goalie for the second straight season because of Price’s knee injury, Allen said: “For me it’s a great opportunity. Coming here three years ago I never would have expected this. Playing behind Carey Price you don’t ever expect this. But that’s how quick things can change in this game and it’s unfortunate we don’t have Pricer with us. We’re a better team with him. But for me, personally, it’s another great chance for me to play some more games in a role that in the grand scheme of things I think I’ve had more or less the last two years with the injuries and situations. It’s just another chance to build my game and help this team, guide them along and sort of be a steady presence for them back there.”
Allen will be playing behind some young defencemen this season as the Canadiens try to rebuild after finishing with the worst record in the NHL last season.
“I have no concerns about it,” Allen said after playing in the team’s first preseason game. “You need experience to grow and if that’s what it’s going to take for these guys to get experience to grow into better players and better people, then it is what it is. My job is to be back there to be a stabilizer for them. To be a leader and trying to help them in different avenues of their game, on the ice, off the ice. That’s sort of my job.
“It really has no affect on me personally,” he added. “It’s a great opportunity for them. I’m excited for a lot of these young guys to have these chances here because opportunities for young guys in the league are sometimes hard to get. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing to have is an opportunity. Some people go their whole career and don’t get one. So these guys have a great chance in front of them.”
Allen has played in 353 NHL career games with the St. Louis Blues and the Canadiens, posting a 168-126-35 record with a 2.60 GAA, a .911 save percentage and 23 shutouts.
The Blues selected him in the second round (34th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft and he was part of their Stanley Cup team in 2019. The Blues traded him to the Canadiens on Sept. 2, 2020, along with a seventh-round pick at this year’s NHL Draft (Miguel Tourigny), in exchange for a third-round pick in 2020 (Dylan Peterson) and a seventh-round pick in 2020 (Chase Bradley).
scowan@postmedia.com
twitter.com/StuCowan1
