Montreal Canadiens Rumor: Talks Happened Between Habs, Stanley Cup Contender Involving Goaltender

The Montreal Canadiens would love to trade one of their goaltenders. We said that back in October and we are still saying it in the middle of February.

Some questions have been answered in the meantime, including the question of whether or not the Canadiens would re-sign Sam Montembeault. They have, and he is now extended through the 2026-27 season instead of being a pending unrestricted free agent.

So that means he is staying. Cayden Primeau has also done about all you can ask of a player who seems to play once every three weeks. He has had some great outings this season and looks like he could become a solid 1B option in the near future, which makes him and Montembeault a perfect tandem as the team continues its rebuild.

That leaves Jake Allen as the odd man out. The 33 year old veteran has played steady minutes most of this season (his last game notwithstanding) and could be a great backup option for a Stanley Cup contending team. On a really good team, he could every third game or so for the rest of the regular season, or perhaps be a little busier as he allows the starter to remain fresh heading into the postseason.

It sounds like the Colorado Avalanche were thinking along these lines as well.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Canadiens and Avalanche have held talks involving Allen, but things have cooled recently on that front. Dreger indicated the Avs, a legit Stanley Cup threat, are interested in Allen as a backup to Alexandar Georgiev, but they haven't held notable talks in about ten days.

He also suggests talks at this time of year are often hot and then cold as teams search around the trade market for the perfect fit. Dreger also notes that can all change with a single phone call at this time of year.

It certainly sounds like the Avalanche are interested, and Allen does make sense as a backup for them. Georgiev has been one of the busiest goaltenders in the league this season and needs a reliable second option behind him so he can stay rested before a long playoff run.

As for a return in a trade, the Canadiens can't be expecting a lot for Allen who has a 3.43 GAA and a .895 SV% on the season, though those numbers would be a lot better on a team like Colorado. Maybe a third round pick in a future draft but the Canadiens may need to take back some salary to make things work.

It is definitely a situation worth keeping an eye as the Canadiens have to be as motivated to solve their three goalie situation as other teams are to acquire a veteran netminder.