The Rat Trick
Fansided

Florida Panthers: Three Out-of-Place Goalies the Cats Should Pursue

By Cal Friedman

SUNRISE, FL - OCTOBER 13: Goaltender Roberto Luongo is presented with a gold and crystal stick by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Dale Tallon during a celebration of playing in 1000th NHL game prior to the Florida Panthers hosting the Vancouver Canucks at the BB&T Center on October 13, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - OCTOBER 13: Goaltender Roberto Luongo is presented with a gold and crystal stick by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Dale Tallon during a celebration of playing in 1000th NHL game prior to the Florida Panthers hosting the Vancouver Canucks at the BB&T Center on October 13, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next

Option #3: Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues

ST. LOUIS, MO – DECEMBER 11: Jake Allen #34 of the St. Louis Blues defends the net against Frank Vatrano #72 of the Florida Panthers at Enterprise Center on December 11, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – DECEMBER 11: Jake Allen #34 of the St. Louis Blues defends the net against Frank Vatrano #72 of the Florida Panthers at Enterprise Center on December 11, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images) /

There’s not a lot of teams that have struggled more than St. Louis this season, 30 points through 3 months, with a lot of talent on this team susceptible to a trade if they decide to blow it all up.

Jake Allen is going to be one of many requesting a flight out at the deadline, if not sooner. Allen has spent 7 seasons playing for the Blues and has gradually regressed more and more since his NHL debut.

His trade value could be lower than previously imagined, having his worst season in the NHL with a 3.17 GAA and an .898% save percentage.

Allen, surprisingly, has been awful at QuickenLoans Arena, giving up almost four goals a game across fifteen starts.

He’s begun to rebound relatively well after being labeled as one of the worst goalies in the NHL across October, where he gave up 3.99 goals per game on an .874% percentage.

Allen has yet again fallen scapegoat in St. Louis, a lot of the team have been good in major stat categories, 2nd in face-offs, 8th in penalty kill, and 20th in shots allowed, but the lack of goal support (26th in goals for) has really kept the pressure on Allen.

He’s still made some great saves, like this one against Winnipeg. He’s given up his fair share of goals off giveaways, but here, he shows great reaction time to instantly snap into position and make a crucial save in the opening frame of the game, despite being well out of position.

If the Blues do decide to go younger, Jake Allen could be one of many players that would help them acquire said youth.

Despite extreme caution for inconsistency, if you get him on his good nights as he had from 2013-2015, he can become an all-star level talent again.

Allen is also still 28, which means he still has a good amount of time left in the NHL at the top-level, barring any injuries.

Finally, his contract was also unevenly portioned, with Allen set to earn $5.2 million next season, the most out of his 4 year/$17.4 million extension that he signed back in 2015.

The Blues may look to offload that money if they feel they can go after another goalie for cheap. He’s still a serviceable player, however, so the Cats may need to offer a little more than expected for his numbers.

As said, the Blues may want to get a little younger. James Reimer comes in as a possible bridge goalie to whoever St. Louis’ long-term replacement is, with Denis Malgin, 21 years of age, and Jayce Hawryluk, 23 on January 1st, also being shipped off to the Gateway City. Zach Sanford joins the deal for cap considerations.

Next. Three Stars in Victory Over the Red Wings. dark

Thanks for reading. Be sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our daily newsletter to keep up with the Florida Panthers.

Home/Editorials