After being knocked out of the NHL Playoffs by the Vancouver Canucks, the St Louis Blues have begun their offseason business by trading Jake Allen to the Montreal Canadiens for two 2020 Draft picks. The Blues will also send a 2021 Draft pick to the Canadiens as they make a statement on the long term future of their goaltending situation.
Despite outplaying Jordan Binnington during the Playoffs, Allen was always likely to be the one moving on after the Blues resigned Binnington to a bridge deal worth $4.4 million per year. At 4.35 million Allen was too expensive to be a backup especially considering how close to the salary cap the Blue had gone.
The extra leeway created by the Jake Allen trade could help General Manager Doug Armstrong re-sign Unrestricted Free Agent defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, although with just under $6.4 million available another move may need to be done before that can realistically happen.
Allen was drafted by the Blues in the 2008 NHL Draft and had played his entire career with St. Louis, posting a 148-94-26 record. He leaves St Louis with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 289 career regular-season games after losing the starting job in the 2018-19 season to Binnington.
Armstrong said in the official press release “I want to personally thank Jake for his dedication to the St. Louis Blues organization during his entire time as a Blue. He has always been a top-tier professional who has done everything we have asked of him. We wish Jake and his wife Shannon nothing but the best in Montreal.”
The Blues will get the Washington Capitals 2020 third-round pick and the Chicago Blackhawks 2020 seventh-round pick which had been previously acquired by the Canadiens.
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