Jake Allen finally decides on his future in Montreal and his wish should be granted

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Jeff Drouin
August 7, 2022 (11:28)

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Despite the departure of several veterans since the arrival of Kent Hughes as general manager of the Canadiens, the team can still count on goaltender Jake Allen.

The latter, despite an injury that caused him to miss several weeks of activities last year, is still with the team despite some trade rumors concerning him.

As the goaltender prepares for the 2022-2023 season, William Theriault of Danslescoulisses.com reported that Allen showed a clear and pronounced curiosity to meet the first pick of the Habs in the last draft, a certain Juraj Slafkovsky, and that he was very anxious to be able to play with him, during an interview on the Habs' official website.

"We'll see what Juraj Slafkovsky has in store for us. I'm really excited to skate with him. He seems like a guy who is always in a good mood. That's the kind of thing that's great to have in a locker room. I can't wait to get on the ice with him, and I'm sure he's going to beat me with some hard shots the first few times."

On his future in Montreal, the 31-year-old netminder said he still sees himself with the team when the season opens, despite trade rumors, and hopes to stay and take on a leadership role with the organization's young players.

At the time, he was speaking on the subject for the first time ever.

"There's also a lot of excitement around the fact that we brought in a lot of youth, new faces and talent. There's a lot of excitement surrounding the group. I'm excited to see where it goes. I'm really looking forward to seeing the young guys grow. I'm one of the older guys on the team now, so I really want to help and guide the young guys and get them to be the best version of themselves."

Obviously, his wish should be granted and he is expected (at this point) to start the year with the Habs.

Allen, who will enter his final year of his contract in 2022-2023, is currently vacationing with his family in New Brunswick and enjoying his cottage while fly fishing. Let's hope he's in top shape for the opening of the Habs training camp in September, just like teammate Carey Price.