Jake Allen was traded to the New Jersey Devils from the Montreal Canadiens on Friday for a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The 33-year-old goalie signed a two-year, $7.7 million contract ($3.85 million average annual value) with the Canadiens on Oct. 1, 2022, and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season.
The Canadiens are retaining 50 percent of his salary. If Allen plays 40 or more games next season and whichever team he’s on reaches the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the third-round pick will become a second-round pick.
Allen is 6-12-0 with a 3.65 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in 21 games this season.
“I'm really looking forward to the new opportunity, the fresh start, get back into net, try to get back into a little rhythm here again, in practice and in games and finish off the season strong,” Allen said. “We're a few points out of a spot, push for this season, make a good finish here and then get ready and get prepared for next year.”
The Devils (31-28-4) are six points behind the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning for the two wild card spots in into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round (No. 34) of the 2008 NHL Draft, Allen is 189-162-41 with a 2.75 GAA and .908 save percentage in 416 regular-season games (395 starts) for the Canadiens and Blues and 11-12 with a 2.06 GAA and .924 save percentage in 29 Stanley Cup Playoff games (23 starts).
He won the Cup with the Blues in 2019. After the 2019-20 season, Allen was traded to Montreal by St. Louis on Sept. 2, 2020.
He went 41-68-16 with a 3.30 GAA and .899 save percentage in 127 games over four seasons with Montreal.
"Jake has been so professional from the time that I got here and his efforts, and concern weren't just around Jake Allen and his performance in net," Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said. "He’s taken ownership on this team and trying to help us put it in the right direction for what we want to accomplish knowing that he wouldn't be here for it, whether we kept him for the remainder of this contract or not. So I can't say enough good things about Jake. He was great in net for us. He was great in the locker room. He was a great leader and a great member of the community, and he's going to be missed.”
The Devils also acquired goalie Kaapo Kahkonen from the San Jose Sharks for goalie Vitek Vanecek and a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Kahkonen, 27, is 6-20-3 with a 3.36 goals-against average and .898 save percentage this season. He can become a UFA on July 1.
Vanecek, 28, was 17-9-3 for New Jersey this season and is 91-42-17 in 163 NHL games with the Washington Capitals and Devils. He has one year left on the three-year contract ($3.4 AAV) he signed with the Devils on July 19, 2022.
There were reports that the Devils were trying to acquire goalie Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames ahead of the Deadline.
“I mean, if I was a GM, I'd be very interested in Markstrom too. I can't blame anyone for that,” Allen said. “I think he's been top-three or four goalies in the league this year no doubt. But it's just one of those things that you sort of always hear the name, you have an understanding of sort of potentially what's out there, and an opportunity for me to get back in the net play.
“An opportunity for my family to know where we're going to play next year as well. That was that was important for me. Three young girls and to go there and hear a lot of good things about the organization and a really good hockey team. Obviously, probably not up to their standards where they want to be this year, but we still have some time left and if not can go into next year.”
Earlier on Friday, the Devils traded forward Tyler Toffoli to the Winnipeg Jets for a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2025 draft.
NHL.com senior draft writer Mike Morreale and independent correspondent Sean Farrell contributed to this report
