NHL Source: ‘Hearing Jake Allen More. Stars Or Coyotes Make Sense’

Could the Dallas Stars or Arizona Coyotes be targeting Montreal Canadiens goalie Jake Allen on the NHL trade market?

An NHL source told Montreal Hockey Now that both teams have inquired about acquiring the Canadiens goalie on the NHL trade market before and opined that it could make a ton of sense for both the Coyotes and the Stars to do so once Carey Price’s situation becomes clearer.

“Hearing Jake Allen More. Stars Or Coyotes Make Sense. Both teams have looked into him in the past, I know that,” the source told MHN late Wednesday afternoon. “Depending on what happens with Price, it could make a lot of sense for them and the Canadiens. Let’s say Carey’s good to go or close to by the time the season starts. Then, what if [Jake] Oettinger hasn’t been signed by then or he’s holding out during camp, are you taking the chance on Scott Wedgewood and a call-up as your goalies to start the season if you think you’re a contender this year?”

Obviously, the Coyotes have no aspirations to be a playoff contender this coming season but right now, they only have 26-year-old goalie Karel Vejmelka on their roster.

“The Yotes need another goalie and honestly they want to be as competitive as they can to create and keep buzz around them,” the source pointed out.

The Coyotes also have tons of cap space as they’re currently $20.3 million under the $82.5 million salary cap for the 2022-23 NHL regular season. According to this same source, the Coyotes have been very active in NHL trade talks this offseason. The obvious reason is defenceman Jakob Chychrun but they’re looking to acquire ‘quality players’ not just salary, picks and prospects.

As for the Stars, they have $10.3 million in cap space and even if they sign Oettinger, they could afford to acquire Jake Allen and the final season of his two-year contract that carries a $2.8 million cap hit.

Based on a recent interview with the Canadiens, Allen will be healthy and ready to go for the start of the season

“Overall, I’m feeling good on the ice,” Allen told Canadiens.com on August 2. “I’ve been on the ice probably 20 times so far, so I feel like I’ve skated a lot. When I had the groin injury at the end of the year, I wanted to get my feet back on the ice early, and now I’m ready to rock. I’m looking forward to getting back to Montreal later this month and then settling in before camp. The summer has been fast, but it’s been really good and efficient for me.”

It appears the NHL Betting Odds that Allen is traded are getting better.