The Montreal Canadiens were one of the very few teams that started this season with three goalies on the roster or have even held three netminders at once. This was a decision made so that Cayden Primeau, the rookie goaltender in Montreal, wouldn’t be picked up off waivers and be lost for nothing.
As Kent Hughes described, “we were not ready to put Cayden on waivers, based on the discussions with other teams. We were pretty sure someone would have claimed him. We decided to keep three goalies and evaluate the potential trades from there. The plan was not to have three goalies all year. It’s still not the plan. But I can’t tell you 100 percent that we’ll make a goaltender trade.”
Indeed, I do believe someone would have claimed Primeau with the injuries at the start of the season for some teams. While starting the season with three goalies isn’t a horrible idea to also get a rookie acclimated to the NHL with less pressure, ending a season with three isn’t ideal.
Sam Montembeault was re-signed during the season, so the expectation is that the Canadiens won’t be moving on from him this season. And while it is still possible Primeau is moved, he has shown promise and has been better than Jake Allen, the real goaltender the team should move on from. There is a feeling that the Canadiens missed their shot to do so when Allen was having a strong start to the season. That has faded away quickly as Allen has just two wins in his past 11 games, only recording a .900 save percentage (SV%) or better in five of those games.
When teams have younger starters or goalies who should be in tandems at this point in their careers, a veteran like Allen is a trade target that those teams generally like to add for insurance down the stretch and for the playoffs. It is also never a bad idea to have goaltending depth, as a season could come crashing down based on an injury in net. In a market where teams are looking for help in net desperately, the Canadiens have done nothing yet.
Canadiens Could End the Season on a Poor Note
We’ve established that Montembeault won’t be the goaltender dealt this season if there is one. That leaves Primeau and Allen. Primeau is the type of young goalie that a young and upcoming team would love to have. That team is the Canadiens, even if they have some solid prospects in their system. Their rebuild could be over sooner than later if they stay healthy. This means they could use options right now, and Primeau is more a part of the future than Allen.
While the general consensus is that Allen should be the one traded, Hughes’ words that said it’s not 100 percent that the Canadiens will make a goalie trade isn’t encouraging. The time when teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes were all very desperate has passed. Now, either those teams, the New Jersey Devils, and more are looking for cheaper or better/longer term than Allen.
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The Canadiens are .500 and six points out of a playoff spot. There are five teams to jump if they want to climb into the final playoff spot. With half a season left, a lot of good teams, and the trade deadline quickly approaching. I believe that Hughes is still trying to shop Allen, but getting any value or a team even willing to take him at this point will garner a very small return.
Hughes is apparently not receiving any return he is hoping for, so this means that he is receiving something. This may result in the Canadiens finishing the season with three goalies and having to deal with that in the offseason where it may become even more difficult to move since teams aren’t desperate for help when games aren’t going on.