Montreal Canadiens: Expansion Draft Gamble Working Out Keeping Hopes Alive

The Montreal Canadiens made one of the most surprising moves heading into last year’s Seattle Kraken expansion draft.

While other teams left high priced and maybe a little over the hill wingers available like James van Riemsdyk and Vladimir Tarasenko, the Habs leaving Carey Price available to the Kraken was the biggest shocker heading into the expansion draft.

It was not the biggest shocker for long, as the Kraken passing on Price was an even bigger surprise.

The whole reason the Habs left Price exposed was because they wanted to protect his backup, Jake Allen. Price and Allen formed a solid duo last season and the trust the team had in Jake Allen allowed them to rest Price throughout the season and keep him fresh in the postseason where he performed extremely well while leading the team to the Stanley Cup Final.

General Manager Marc Bergevin desperately wanted to keep that goaltending tandem for the 2021-22 season and he risked losing Carey Price for nothing to make it happen. That risk is about to pay off as the team is dealing with some unexpected adversity very early in the season.

It was announced shortly before the season began that Carey Price would be out for at least 30 days as he is taking part in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

The team skated straight into more trouble by losing their first three games. Losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers were not how the team wanted to begin the season.

But no one can blame Jake Allen for the tough start. He allowed just two goals on 30 shots in the season opener against the Maple Leafs. He allowed just two more in the home opener against the Rangers. The problem is, the team has scored just one goal in each game they have played so far this season.

While the sky appears to be falling according to some fans, the team has played just three games. Their offence is a huge problem at the moment but they will not continue to score a single goal every night.

One of the lone bright spots so far has been the play of Jake Allen. His 2.05 GAA and .925 SV% show he is playing extremely well, and that is a reason for hope as the offence tries to find its rhythm.

If not for Jake Allen, this team could be in huge trouble already. Had Bergevin protected Price and let Allen go to Seattle, the Habs would have been in the free agency market for a goaltender, looking to spend less than $2.5 million per year on a short term deal.

Would they have grabbed Antti Raanta, maybe Braden Holtby or Brian Elliott as a veteran backup for a year? Martin Jones hoping for a bounce back season? It’s difficult to predict who would have landed in Montreal as Price’s backup and thus thrown into the spotlight to begin the season. The best case scenario might have been Jaroslav Halak choosing to return to Montreal instead of going to Vancouver, but who knows?

I know that, in Price’s absence, Montreal Canadiens fans should be glad they have Jake Allen to tend the goal every night. They have their work cut out for them starting the season 0-3-0, but all they need is two goals per night to stay in games with Allen in net.

Once the offence shows some signs of life, the team will win their fair share of games with Allen in goal.