Montreal Canadiens Reportedly Talking Extension With Jake Allen

The Montreal Canadiens are looking to get some security at the goaltending position by locking up Jake Allen before he hits the market next summer.

According to NHL Insider Kevin Weekes, the Montreal Canadiens appear to be in talks with goaltender Jake Allen about a multi-year extension. Jake Allen has one year left on his contract worth $2.875M per year. The Canadiens have been free to negotiate with Allen on a contract extension since mid-July and, according to Weekes, a deal could be close to being announced in the near future. This wouldn’t be the first time Allen was extended right before training camp, as former general manager Marc Bergevin extended Allen just a month after making his acquisition in the fall of 2020.

It would make sense for the Canadiens to gain some sort of security at such a crucial position moving forward with the recent news that Carey Price will not return this season, if at all. The goalie market has become fierce in free agency, with many teams still scrambling to shore up their goaltending before the start of the season. With only Allen, Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau as goalies under contract within the Montreal Canadiens organization, the Canadiens likely wanted to avoid giving Allen the opportunity to hit the market, as many teams were interested in acquiring Allen this month.

** Garder un oeil 👁 sur**

On me dit, @CanadiensMTL sont en les discussions avec G Jake Allen sur une prolognation de Contrat pluriannuelle.

I’m told @CanadiensMTL are in discussions w G Jake Allen on multi yr Contract extension. @espn @NHL @NHLNetwork #HockeyTwitter

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) September 8, 2022

It is interesting to note that, if this report does come to fruition, the Canadiens would have Montembeault and Allen signed for next year, which could make it difficult for Cayden Primeau, who is currently without a contract, to crack the lineup at a time where he is no longer waiver exempt. The Montreal Canadiens will have to come up with a long-term succession plan in nets in the near future, but having Allen around for a couple more years could offer the Canadiens the additional flexibility and time to find the perfect fit down the line.