Cayden Primeau, Jake Allen, And The Importance Of Consistency

The Montreal Canadiens carried three goaltenders for the vast majority of the season.

They only managed to slay the three-headed monster in the final moments of the NHL’s Trade Deadline, when general manager Kent Hughes finally moved Jake Allen to the New Jersey Devils.

To be perfectly fair, Hughes and Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald had agreed on a deal earlier in the season, but given New Jersey already had two goaltenders in place, Allen decided to block the trade as they were one of the teams on his modified no-trade list.

It was well within his rights, as he wanted to avoid moving to another team that featured a goaltending carousel.

And for good reason, too.

We all know goaltenders are a special breed.

There are two quotes from legendary Canadiens netminder Jacques Plante that sum up their mentality perfectly.

“Goaltending is a normal job, sure. How would you like it in your job if every time you made a small mistake, a red light went on over your desk and 15,000 people stood up and yelled at you?

“Only a goalie can appreciate what a goalie goes through.”

Of course, things have not become any easier in the modern NHL landscape. Masks are now accepted, and the equipment no longer weighs 300 lbs by the third period because it has absorbed a ridiculous amount of sweat and water. But the improvements in equipment available to skaters quickly dwarf those perks.

Oh, and unlike, say, Glen Hall, goaltenders are no longer tasked with playing an unreasonable amount of games. In that vein, Hall’s record of 503 consecutive starts isn’t just an astonishing number, it’s perhaps the safest record in the NHL, and that includes a bevy of jaw-dropping records set by the Great One, Wayne Gretzky.

And while Hall’s streak will never be topped, it does speak to what goaltenders crave most: consistency.

Playing in a 1A/1B situation is barely enough to find your rhythm. But playing in a “défense à trois” setup is a recipe for disaster. Even if one of the goaltenders enjoys a great outing, they have to head to the back of the line.

By the time they receive another start, the momentum they built in the previous game is nowhere to be found.

Moving On

The results since the trade has confirmed a few things.

The first is that Jake Allen is still a good goaltender. Despite putting up reasonable numbers, he received more than his share of criticism during his time in Montreal.

Of course, playing for a team like the Habs has certain implications.

You will face a half dozen or more odd-man rushes per game. And the first period will always be a toss-up, as the Habs are rarely the best team out of the gate. It takes them a period, or longer, to find their groove.

With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that Allen has only had one game with the Devils in which his save percentage dipped below .900. In fact, his save percentage during his time with the Devils is .923, a gigantic improvement upon the .892 he had with the Habs.

But we’re not here to praise the Devils.

Rather, the goal is to point out that the context in which goaltenders are playing will impact their results significantly.

Now that the crease is less crowded, Allen can prepare for every game knowing that he’s likely to be given the start. It’s a big psychological advantage he did not have in Montreal.

Montreal Canadiens Crease

While Allen has played well for the Devils, you could argue Primeau has played even better for the Montreal Canadiens.

Once again, the improved situation has led to better numbers.

In Primeau’s four appearances since the trade, the 24-year-old has saved 94 of the 98 shots he faced at 5v5, good for a sparkling .959 save percentage.

He also ranks seventh in the NHL among goaltenders for goals saved above average at 5v5.

In other words, now that Primeau can focus on his starts rather than wondering how many weeks of inaction he has to deal with, he is turning in numbers that suggest he has the skill set needed to help the team throughout their rebuild.

Consequently, he was recently awarded the Molson Cup.