As per usual, there were plenty of journalists on the line ready to roast Jake Allen who had to field questions for almost half an hour. Understandably, the goaltender was having a whirlwind of a day and had not yet been able to fully process what was happening, but he sounded genuinely pleased to become a Montreal Canadiens. Here are my main takeaways from his presser.
On Carey Price:
I'll be behind one of the best goalies in the world and a guy who has been dominant in the league and that's a great opportunity. Watching him play from afar, it's impressive to see that his game hasn't changed much since he first started in the league, it's a true testament to how good he is. Just getting to practice with him, see him on the ice go through the drills, I'll be able to pick stuff up from him. I don't know him at all, we've never really spoken but I'm sure we'll get off on the right foot. We've got the same interests on and off the ice so that should help, I love country music and I'm a bit outdoors guy, I really enjoy fishing so that's a good start.
On coming back to Montreal:
It feels like I've come full circle really from playing with the Montreal Junior, then playing against the Canadiens in the NHL and finally joining them. There are some people I've kept in touch with here in Montreal and I'm definitely more used to this city than to most others in the league so that will make me at ease. It's been 12 years since I lived here so obviously, I won't have the same lifestyle as I did as an 18-year-old going to Concordia University. I'm 30 now and I have a couple of kids. I've played with Xavier Ouellet when we were much younger, and I've been coached by both Joel Bouchard and Dominique Ducharme so that will help to put me at ease.
On being a back-up goaltender:
My role changed over the years and I had a choice to either accept it and thrive in it or not. It really is a matter of being a team player and doing what's needed. It's all about knowing your role and your position. I've done this quite well in St-Louis and I can give Price the breaks he needs and help the team. I embraced my role in St-Louis and was lucky enough to be able to take part of a cup run. I got a front row seat and I saw what guys need to do to keep themselves prepared and accountable and I feel that's an experience I'll be able to share with this team. I'm just looking to have a good season and do what it takes you know, whether it is to stay 25 extra minutes on the ice at the end of practice or not playing for extended period of time though I don't think that will be the case this season. I've not really talked to Claude or the organization about how many games they'll want me to play but I know they need someone to come in and perform to take some minutes off of Carey's shoulders. My role will be to make his life as easy as possible. With the pandemic, we don't know what the season will look like, the schedule might be compressed and there could be 4 or 5 games a week. Really, I'm looking forward to having a great season, using this new opportunity and maybe open some new doors for myself.
On the trend in the league to have 2 good goaltenders:
75% of the teams now run with ac couple of goalies and it makes sense since the both the league and the position are so demanding. At the end of the day, there's so much parity in the league that every game and every point counts and that's probably why the 2 goaltender system is trending upwards.
On leaving St-Louis:
It's been a huge part of my life, I played there for 8 years, made a lot of friends, had my 2 kids there and got to win a Stanley Cup. It's not going to be easy to leave but I've got a new opportunity in front of me, I'll get to live in Canada and wear that historic sweater, I'm excited, it's great. I knew there was a chance I would get traded but I had no idea where and it kind of came out of the blue today especially since there will be a lot of goaltenders available this offseason, I wasn't expecting it.
That just about sums it up. I must say that Marc Bergevin is starting his offseason with a bang, addressing a crying need for his team while using an over abundance of picks in the next draft to do it. For those who think it’s utter madness to devote 15 millions in salary a year to goaltending, the Canadiens can definitely afford it next season. It’s not like they’ve been pressed against the cap the last few years. Furthermore, it’s always been a struggle to bring in big free agents to Montreal so Bergevin didn’t gamble, he found his man and did what he had to do to get him. This is probably the first of a series of moves from the Canadiens’ GM and hopefully, he’ll make this offseason entertaining for the fans and manage to address the other needs that plague his team.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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