The Avalanche are being viewed as a strong potential landing spot for this Canadiens netminder.
The Colorado Avalanche sport an impressive 32-14-3 record, and they are naturally going to be buyers at the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. One clear area that they will look to improve is between the pipes, as GM Chris MacFarland has confirmed this to be the case.
Because of this, in a recent article for Daily Faceoff, writer Matt Larkin listed the Avalanche as one of the "obvious fits" for Montreal Canadiens goalie Jake Allen.
Allen, 33, has been in the rumor mill all season because the Canadiens have three NHL goalies on their roster. Due to this and the Avalanche's current situation in the net, the club has been viewed as a possible landing spot for him at certain points this season. This is only the latest example of that.
Bringing in a backup goalie is a necessity for the Avalanche. Pavel Francouz is out for the season, while Ivan Prosvetov struggled in the role and has since been sent down to the AHL. Meanwhile, Justus Annunen is a young goalie with promise, but he also has just five games of NHL experience. Because of this, bringing in an experienced 1B goalie like Allen would be massive for the Avs.
Allen would also give the Avalanche another goaltender who has a good amount of experience in the playoffs. This would be great for Colorado, as he would be a strong backup option for them if Alexandar Georgiev was hurt or struggled. As Larkin notes, Allen has also had success in the playoffs, posting a 2.06 GAA and a .924 SV% in 29 appearances.
Allen has appeared in 17 games this season with the Canadiens, where he sports a 5-9-3 record, a 3.43 GAA, and a .901 SV%.
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