Jake Allen didn’t hold back when he revisited his time with the Canadiens, and the three-goalie experiment in Montreal clearly still sits with him.
In a recent interview with Daily Faceoff, the veteran goalie laid out just how much he disliked the setup the Canadiens used during the 2023-24 season, when the team carried three goaltenders for an extended stretch. That arrangement became a talking point around Montreal all winter, and Allen made it clear he felt the effects of it.
“So personally I didn't really like it, just because you feel on the outs,” the veteran said about that controversial period.
Allen said he felt pushed aside by the way things played out, and he didn’t try to soften that message.
There was also another wrinkle added by Stu Cowan on The Sick Podcast. Cowan said Allen also wasn’t a big fan of Éric Raymond, who was the Canadiens’ goaltending coach at the time. That detail hadn’t been known previously.
Raymond had a reputation as an “old-school” coach, one who could be demanding with his goalies on a daily basis. Put that together with a three-goalie rotation, and it’s not hard to see why Allen was frustrated. He wanted to play as much as possible and keep proving himself, which is a pretty standard ask for a competitor in that stage of his career.
The Canadiens didn’t make the situation easy on him, and the eventual trade to New Jersey gave Allen a chance to hit reset.
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Canadiens Have An Obvious Veteran Option For Secondary Scoring
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For Montreal, the appeal is obvious: a player like Smith could step into a professional tryout and show whether there is still enough left in the tank to help the bottom six contribute more consistently. Nothing formal has been reported yet, and there is no agreement or offer on the table, but the Canadiens are at least being linked to a veteran who could bring both scoring touch and playoff seasoning if the fit makes sense. [Read more 🡒]