I am not one of those who thought that Kent Hughes did wrong to give a two-year contract extension (2023-2025) to Jake Allen. In the old days, it was the right thing to do.
And even if it were necessary to exchange him in 2024, the fact remains that Allen is missing (a little) at CH at the moment.
I often said, before the 2023-2024 season, that if the Canadian traded Allen, he would quickly want to find another Allen. And in terms of leadership, I don’t think I’m in the field.
Even though I was one of those last year who thought the ménage à trois had to end to see what the young people had in their bodies, I never completely hated the concept.
First, the three goalkeepers never complained publicly. They handled it like pros.
And if we say that it is by having something taken away from us that we realize our value, it is clear that seeing Jake Allen prevent Samuel Montembeault from being a #1 and prevent Cayden Primeau from being a regular, it makes us realize that the ménage à trois, at a certain point, worked.
Does this mean we had to pick up James Reimer or Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers? Not yet. And this, even if the two have surely been the talk of the Canadiens offices in recent days.
I don’t believe that Kent Hughes, who doesn’t like losing assets on waivers, kept Allen for months only to submit Primeau a few months later. It’s not logical… even if Primeau is having a hard time.
In my eyes, after seeing the CH ignore two goalkeepers on waivers, we must forget everyone on the outside and all those who are not real possibilities (Jacob Fowler and Carey Price will not save the CH this season) to focus on the four real options.
Right now, contractually speaking and in a realistic world, Jakub Dobes and Connor Hughes are the only goalies who can help Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau.
Why not recreate the pressure of a ménage à trois without having to deal with the disadvantages of everyday life as a threesome?
What I mean is that unless you want/can easily add a veteran who would force the hand of the two goalkeepers a little, the CH could sit down with the goalkeepers to explain to them that Dobes or Hughes will play matches here and there.
Recalling a goalie for a match before returning him to Laval right after the match is done. This would give the CH’s two current goalkeepers a breather in addition to allowing us to test the guys down there, who have been doing well for a month. We often speak well of them… and the CH really likes Dobes.
I have the feeling that if it’s done well, it would take pressure off Montembeault and Primeau (who is lacking confidence)… but ironically, it would also have the effect of putting it on them. Each match would be more important, like last year at this time.
Guys would have to fight for their playing time, which would create an internal struggle. That worked last year.
Why couldn’t it, in good times, work well this year too? And above all, what does the CH lose by trying this now at well-chosen moments?
From the perspective that Kent Hughes wants to do something without mortgaging his future, he could hardly have better value for money.
In burst
– Speaking of the wolf.
– Samuel Montembeault, still an option for Team Canada? [98.5 Sports]
– With Carey Price, reconstruction did not exist. [JdeM]
– Playing at home (Vancouver) will cost him a lot of money in tickets.
– To keep in mind.
