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The New Jersey Devils have retained one of their goaltending options for next season. The Devils have re-signed Jake Allen to a five-year deal worth nine million dollars over the contract. The Devils have taken one of the best free agent goalies off the market, and may have received a great deal.
New Jersey has been building back towards a Stanley Cup run for some time now. They last won the Cup in 2003, and reached the Final in 2012. But struggles would ensue after that. They would miss the playoffs for nine of the next 10 seasons. Still, they have returned to the playoffs two of the last three years, but fallen to the Carolina Hurricanes each time. The Devils have made moves this offseason to make sure they can advance next year. New Jersey has traded away Erik Haula, who was underperforming with the franchise. They have also signed Connor Brown from the Edmonton Oilers.
Allen was selected 34th overall in the 2008 draft by the St. Louis Blues. His first NHL experience would be in the 2012 postseason with the Blues, where he played just over a minute and did not face a shot. He would fully break into the NHL the next season, playing in 15 games with the Blues. The Canadian netminder would become the primary goaltender for the Blues, starting 60 times in the 2016-17 campaign. He started 45 games for the Blues in the 2018-19 season, but lost his job to Jordan Binnington, who helped lead the Blues to the Cup. Allen was demoted to the backup role that year and was sent to the Montreal Canadiens in 2020.
He would end up as the starting goaltender for the 2022-23 season, with Carey Price ruled out of the lineup, but return to the backup role behind Samuel Montembeault. This led to a trade of Allen to the Devils.
The Devils receive security in the goal
To begin with, Allen has been a great goaltender for the Devils. Last season, he started 29 games while playing in 31. He would end up with a 2.66 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. This is not an aberration overall, though. Allen has a career 2.76 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. Allen finished last year in the top 20 of both goals-against average and save percentage, while also having four shutouts, which tied him for 7th in the NHL. He still was not as good as Jacob Markstrom, the starting goaltender for the Devils. Markstrom had a 2.50 goals against average, which was good for seventh in the NHL.
Still, other teams could have heavily benefited from adding Allen to their roster. He was 18th in goals against average this year. Only one other team in the NHL had two goaltenders in the top 20 of goals against average, and that was the combination of Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith in Dallas. Meanwhile, Allen was better than Calvin Pickard, who led the Edmonton Oilers in goals against average as the backup in the Stanley Cup Final, and Binnington, who is seen as one of the top goaltenders in the league.
Further, Allen will be paid as the 47th highest-paid goaltender on AAV in the NHL this year. While that is backup netminder money, Allen is a quality starting netminder for some teams and is being paid well below market value.
Final thoughts and grade for the Jake Allen contract
The Devils made an amazing deal in this situation. Multiple teams were looking at Allen as their potential starting goaltender, but instead, they brought him back as the backup. Further, New Jersey may have secured their future. While Allen is 34 years old, Jacob Markstrom is 35 and is in the final year of his contract. Meanwhile, Allen is under contract for the next five seasons and is a year younger. Further, New Jersey also has Nico Daws under contract this year. He is a restricted free agent next season, plus he is just 24 years old. Allen can play as the starting goaltender or backup next year as the Devils let Markstrom walk, or trade him away.
For Allen, he may not have signed the best deal. While signing with the Devils ensures he will be competing for a Cup, he may not be the starting goaltender. Meanwhile, multiple teams are looking for starting goaltending. Regardless, Allen is a starting-level netminder in the NHL and is being paid backup money. It is possible the Devils trade away Markstrom or let him walk next summer. Still, Allen's pay will remain the same. He is a great insurance policy for the Devils at a great price, but he could have potentially earned more if he left the Devils. Allen might win a cup in Jersey, but there's no guarantee — and it will come at a cost overall.
New Jersey Devils Grade: A
Jake Allen Grade: C
