Goaltender Jake Allen participated in his first practice with the Devils on March 10 and addressed the media for the first time since being acquired at the trade deadline.

Jake Allen has been in the NHL for 11 seasons. He appeared in 416 games between the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens.

In June 2019, Blues teammate Joel Edmundson handed Allen the Stanley Cup after their team's 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. At 28 years old, Allen achieved the ultimate prize.

A couple of seasons later, he found himself in the Stanley Cup Final again, this time with the Canadiens. It was a miracle run, but Allen saw his team fall short, losing in Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Now, at 33 years old, he is part of the New Jersey Devils.

"Being able to go out and get a veteran, with a lot of character, great locker room guy, great athlete in Jake Allen, who's excited to be a part of our organization – he has a no-trade clause, and he waived it to come to us because he sees the opportunity and the upside," general Manager Tom Fitzgerald said during his post-trade deadline press conference.

On March 8, the trade was finalized, and two days later, he was on the ice at Prudential Center for his first practice with his new team.

"It's been a whirlwind couple of days for me. I'm super excited to be here. It happened really quick," Allen said. "Thursday night through Friday working with the Visa to get down here (from Montreal). I'm really excited to be here. I only met the guys right before practice. They all seem great, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them more."

While there may be a limited amount of familiarity with his new teammates, there are two people he knows, including Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Martin Brodeur, as the two were briefly teammates in St. Louis during the 2014-15 season.

"He was very good to me in St. Louis," Allen said. "He was one of my idols growing up and fortunate enough to get to be around him in an organization. I was very fortunate. And I'm super excited to be here, part of an organization he's still the face of and try and help this team out."

Another familiar face is Devils goaltending coach Dave Rogalski, who worked with the Blues' organization while Allen played there.

"I've met him a few times," Allen said. He's always been very good to me, very nice to me, and we had good interactions."

It is never a bad thing to add veteran experience to a locker room, and throughout Allen's career, he has experienced the highs of being a Stanley Cup champion and the lows of sharing the net with two additional goaltenders on a rebuilding team.

"I've been in the league for a long time. I've seen a lot of things," Allen said. "I've been through a lot of things on the good and bad side. I think I have a lot of experience to give to these guys. I'm one of the older guys on the team now. Bring a good presence in the locker room. You have to be good people first, and we'll deal with the on-ice after."

"I'm excited that Jersey wants to give me a chance here," he continued. "I'm looking forward to helping this team down the stretch and continuing into next year as well. It feels like a new challenge for me, a new opportunity. Almost eight years in St. Louis and four years in Montreal, and I get a fresh start here with the Devils. I'm excited."