It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. The NHL Draft and the start of free agency in less than a week has the hockey world buzzing. However, there are plenty of rumours to discuss in the lead up to those two events. General managers across the league are trying figure out what to do when it comes to filling their rosters. There are some important needs that need filling and some players could cash in at the start of next month.
One player that could be in demand is from the New Jersey Devils. This edition of NHL rumours looks at what may happen with that player when free agency starts.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
New Jersey Devils Goalie Could Garner Free Agent Interest
Rumour: Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic did a recent notebook in the run up to free agency. One player that could get some interest in free agency is goalie Jake Allen.
Analysis: This year’s goaltending market may be a thin one and that means Allen could get more interest than in other years. The veteran netminder won’t unseat Jacob Markstrom as the starter with the Devils. This means that Allen will likely move on to a new team when free agency starts on July 1.
The Fredericton, New Brunswick native is a Stanley Cup winner and in a goalie pool that includes others like Alexandar Georgiev, David Rittich, Anton Forsberg, Alex Lyon, Dan Vladar, Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek. Allen was the top netminder of any of those goalies with a .906 save percentage with New Jersey. He took a good number of starts while Markstrom was dealing with injuries.
The 34-year-old hasn’t completely ruled out a return to The Rock according to LeBrun. However, Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald may not have the salary cap space in order to bring back Allen.
What It Means
The veteran goalie was a starter for both the St Louis Blues and the Montreal Canadiens over his lengthy career. Allen is coming off a contract that saw him getting an average $3.85 million cap hit that was for two years.
LeBrun mentioned that Allen is likely looking for a contract of around $4 million for his next average cap hit. The insider mentioned a number of teams have shown varying levels of interest. He mentioned that a total of seven or eight teams are in the mix to sign the veteran goalie.
LeBrun added that the Los Angeles Kings could be in line for a number two goalie. Los Angeles did get a great season from Darcy Kuemper in between the pipes. However, Allen would be some good cover in case there’s an injury or if Kuemper struggles.
It seems that Allen will be a backup or a “1A of 1B” starter that will be part of a tandem. Allen is in the latter stages of his career. However, he can still be a solid contributor for a team. Having a veteran goalie in the blue paint is never a bad thing.
Main photo by: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
The post NHL Rumours: New Jersey Devils Goalie Could Be In Demand appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.