Former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen was no fan of the Habs' three-goalie system.
In a recent interview with the Daily Faceoff podcast, former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen was asked for his thoughts on a three-goalie system. While he said he could understand the need for it, he made it clear that he didn’t enjoy his firsthand experience of it in Montreal.
In Allen’s last season with the Canadiens, Allen, Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau were all with the big club. Clearly, the now-New Jersey Devils netminder felt like there wasn’t enough communication with the goaltenders throughout that season:
We had Montembeault and me, and they kept Cayden Primeau around. We thought Cayden was going to be going down, and they just kept us around, so…Personally, I didn’t really like it. Just because you feel on the outs. The way you need to do it is you’ve got to be able to manage it properly. From the goalie coach to the head coach, to the goalies, I also have a common understanding that this is for the benefit of the group, and it is what it is, and we’re just going to make it work. As long as there’s a clear line of communication and an understanding of where everyone stands, I think that’s the biggest thing. Because as a goalie you’re sitting there and you’ve got three and you’re like “Man, am I ever going to play? Is this guy going to play? Is my next game in two weeks? Is it in three weeks?” As long as there’s a clear communication path, I don’t see any problem with it.
What comes across from Allen’s explanation is that he didn’t think it was managed properly in Montreal and that there was a lack of communication. This is not entirely surprising, since Martin St-Louis has often said in the past that goaltending is the one position he doesn’t get too involved with, since that’s the one job he has never done.
It also reminds me of Jakub Dobes saying that he now had someone in his corner after Eric Raymond was replaced as interim goalie coach by Marco Marciano. It felt like the new coach had a much more hands-on approach and was able to keep his goaltenders in the loop. Still, though, Samuel Montembeault has let it be known that he has no interest in being stuck in a three-goaltender rotation.
It remains to be seen if the Canadiens will go back to a three-goalie system this upcoming season, but it would be surprising. GM Kent Hughes has already made it clear that if Jacob Fowler is kept with the big club this season, it will be to play. As things stand, Montembeault is still around; he hasn’t been traded, and Jakub Dobes is very much in the driving seat with a new contract in his back pocket.
Of course, sending Fowler down to the Laval Rocket is a possibility, but one can wonder if that’s really what would be best for his development.
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