Jake Allen Was a Great Addition to The Devils…What Should His Role Be Next Season?

Jake Allen Was a Great Addition to The Devils…What Should His Role Be Next Season?

this past season was a struggle for the New Jersey Devils but one of their few bright spots was actually a goalie Jake The Snake let’s recap Jake Allen’s season and where he goes from here there’s a lot to break down in today’s episode of Locked on Devils buckle up everybody you’re locked on Devils your daily podcast on the New Jersey Devils part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hi this is Bryce Salvador and you’re locked on devil to trade Matthews scores oh Steven stepped up nailed RoR got the what a shot the Devils win the Stanley Cup all righty now what is up New Jersey welcome back to the lock onil podcast here on lockon network I’m your host College Hockey Club a play announcer Del R for Puck pitch forks and also parttime credential Mia member Trey Matthews I have a sneaky suspicion that something big is going to happen for the New Jersey Devils I have no inside information but I just have a hunch that Tom feral is going to pull a rabbit out of his hat and make a splashy move maybe for a top-notch goalie a lot of people are saying that the devils are eyeing Jacob markstrom because the asking price might be a little cheap and Ryan osinski of nj.com he put out on soci social media and also one of his more recent articles that his guess is that it might be Jacob marstrom as well but who are the assets that the devils are going to give up in order to get markstrom will it be the 10th overall pick will it be a few prospects that they don’t care about will it be a roster player who do you sacrifice in a Jacob marrom trade or a trade in general I’ve been seeing some things on social media saying that maybe y sealer could be an option which is a hint for a future episode as we’re going to reflect on Yona sea thaler season and his past couple years a part of the devil’s organization but the last few days we’ve been talking about different outcomes for devils in terms of trading for a goalie Jacob marstrom lenus olark I talked about kappo kadan last month but let’s talk about the goalie that almost singlehandedly squeak the Devils into the playoffs and that is Jake Allen Jake The Snake we’re gonna break down his overall season because I don’t think I’ve ever done an episode in which I talked about how Jake Allen came to the Devils what my mindset was and how I think his future is going to be like with the Devils moving forward and that’s what I’m going to focus on today’s episode in the first segment we’ll look at his stats his overall play style and I’ll play a few sound bites here and there in the second segment we’ll talk about his future with the Devils will he be the go-to guy do I think that’s a good option then the third segment during his exit interview he talked about getting adjusted to the devil’s organization and the optimism he is feeling amongst the players and what their future is looking like and I sort of want to talk about that in today’s episode all right let’s talk about how Jake got here in the first place as we all know building up to the trade deadline The Talk of the Town was could Tom ferel get a goalie for the Devils because that was one of their biggest issues throughout the course of the season the experiment with VC Vanek it was going downhill unfortunately he was inconsistent for most of the 2023 calendar year if you guys recall around February and March is when we started to see the productivity of vanich take a turn for the worst and then it got on full display during the playoffs and to start the season it didn’t look like vanich was all that promising and akir Schmid he wasn’t repeating the same magic that he showcased in round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs and people were just wondering what could Tom feral do to fix the Devils whether it was from a goal tending standpoint or defensive standpoint I’ve always said that it wasn’t pick or choose it was just a matter of like what’s more attainable and I said it was highly unlikely that he was going to get a high caliber goalie by the trade deadline especially since he had to worry more about Tyler the Foley and what his future was looking like but come the trade deadline Fitzgerald actually surprised me and he got not one but two goalies one of those goalies was kappo kinan that was a chess move in order to get rid of bch vanek’s extra year on his contract kinan is now a pending UFA and that opens up a roster spot for another goalie but the guy who is guaranteed to be here next year because he has one year remaining on his deal is Jake Allen and the thing is the montro Canadians they were trying to get rid of him for a good while that’s why they retained half of his salary that’s how bad they wanted him off the roster in my books and what did the Canadians get they got a conditional third round pick for 2025 so a lowrisk but a high reward circumstance for Tom fitgerald my expectations for Allen weren’t really all that high because here was this competition kappo Kaden Nico Daws Akira Schmid I was just like okay whoever performs best that’s going to be the starting goalie moving forward and it’s just a safe face and just shake things up and take the pressure off of Schmid and Do’s shoulders but Allan did surprise me now before I talk about his stats and compare his time with the Canadians and the dead Bulls here’s what Allan said about being wanted by the devil’s organization take a listen what was it like for you to be able to get in the net and you know play as much as you did going into the summer yeah it was good you know I was just glad for me to play again um you know I was it was important and it was a big reason why I came here um you know to feel me again to feel that uh you know I’m a good goalie in this league and you know I’ve had a lot of experience and Good Times bad times and can find ways you know to get the job done and um you know it was exciting I was glad I got the opportunity to play and I was fortunate they you know they giv me the chance to come here and play this year and um you know the guys made my adjustment pretty smooth it’s a cliche thing to say for any player that’s dealt away and was struggling with their previous environment usually a change of scenery can do wonders for you or being put into a new system a new organization it’s a breath of fresh air but Allan took it to heart because the thing is is like I know I say that Jesper brat was arguably the devil’s best player the reason I put the word arguably is because I put this out on social media if the Devils find a way to get into the playoffs I think you have to give a good amount of credit to Jake Allen and what he did in that because people were even having this debate what could have happened with the Devils had Jake Allen been there the entire season he was that good for New Jersey and when looking at his stats with the Canadians and the Devils I would say he found himself a little bit more while with the Canadians before being dealt away he appeared in 21 games he had a record of 612 and three he had an 89 92 save percentage a goals against average of 3.65 he had no shutouts his goal saved above expected was minus 7.7 his goals against percentage was 112 but once he got to New Jersey you saw him improve his game little by little he had a record of six and six he had a goals against average of 3.11 and a save percentage of 900 he had a quality start percentage of 500 and a goal save above average rating of minus 1.2 you saw the change of his game once he came to New Jersey and despite his record and maybe his save percentage not really reflecting his impact I think if he had a decent defense in front of him I think Jake Allen’s numbers would have gone up a little bit more because this Devil’s team they were not a playoff caliber roster they were dealing with a decent amount of injuries but Jake Allen he was a Saving Grace and I’ve said it in a prior episode I was present for one of his phenomenal outings that unfortunately went to waste it was against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas gold knights in Sin City and Jake Allen was keeping that game close it was the Jake Allen show no ants ifs or buts about it if the Devils won that game Jake Allen unanimously is my first star of the game because that should have been a blowout in favor of Vegas if you would to put VCH Vanek or akir Schmidt in it that game is over in the first period no debate but Jake Allen was the reason why the Devils were still competing with the reigning Stanley Cup champions and it wasn’t just that game there were plenty of other games in which Jake Allen put the team on his back unfortunately he either couldn’t get much goal support or defense support for that matter and for that reason that’s why I say he was one of the best players on the devil’s roster despite being added at the trade deadline if I had to have some sort of debate as to who was the best player on the devil’s roster this past season maybe I would lean towards Jesper brat just because he was with the team the entirety of the Season he played an all 82 games he had an Allstar caliber year but Jake Allen he was still up there and keeping the devils in certain games and I think that was pretty incredible for the low expectations I set for him now we’re going to talk about his role with the team moving forward but before we continue let me tell you about policy genius policy genius helps you easily compare your options from America’s Top insurers in just a few clicks their awardwinning agents can even walk you through a process step by step your work life insurance policy may not offer enough protection for your family’s needs even worse it may not come with you if you leave your job policy genius has no incentive to recommend one insur over another so you could trust their guidance they have thousands of five-star reviews on Google and trust pilot from customers who found the best fit for their needs get the Peace of Mind by finding the right life insurance with policy genius head to policygenius.com or click the link in the description to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you save that’s policygenius.com okay before I give my opinion on the matter here’s what Jake Allen had to say about potentially being the go-to guy for the Devils moving forward check it out did some talk about you know this team going to get another goal tender to maybe be the start of how much that you know is you saying that you want to you want to be that guy you know it’s again that’s above my pay grade uh that’s what uh you know fit’s here to do and he’s done a great job putting a great team together here uh for a long time and you know I can’t really say much else and my job is to play goal um you know kappo I thought did a did a hell of a job here you know he’s a great teammate and again it’s it’s above my pig grade whoever’s here next year with me you know going to try to formulate the best T in the league because I think I truly believe you have to have two goali Le to win okay Jake Allen had a good post trade season with New Jersey and once again he was one of the reasons why the Devils were always knocking the door of a potential playoff spot but the thing is is like I don’t think he should be the go-to guy moving forward I think the Devils should continue to find another goalie the thing is like here’s what I fear I fear that tomen sherald might go the cheap route if he cannot find a goalie resign caken and that’s your goal tending tandem for the rest of the season I feel like that’s repeating the same mistake that he made last year with Beek Vanek and Akira Schmid remember a lot of people are forgetting that VC Vanek he was the first Devil’s goalie since martan broor to have a 30 plus win season and he completely got exposed in the playoffs if I said it once I’ve said it a thousand times the playoffs are a much different Beast because you’re facing the same team in a best of seven series and you got to try to defeat them four times which makes it a little bit hard which is why sometimes being a good regular season team doesn’t translate over to the playoffs just as the Toronto Maple Leaves despite all the star power they have they have only gone past the first round one time since 2004 or look at the New York Rangers there’s a reason why they haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1994 despite having successful years and they were just the president Trophy winners just a few weeks ago and now they didn’t even reach the Stanley Cup Final of course there’s the president trophy’s curse which I don’t really believe in I think it’s just pure coincidence but digressing a little bit I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on Jake Allen if I’m being completely honest I think Jake Allen is a serviceable backup and similar to what he said in the first segment he just wants to feel wanted and he wants to have a decent Siz role honestly if he is the backup goalie for whatever goalie Tom feral gets in the market that’s still having a decent role because the Devils have been struggling with stability when it comes to goalies the past few seasons in fact they’ve been struggling with it ever since Mart am bror Corey Schneider they just could never find that goaly tandem to take them over the hump and it’s costed them a few times this Devil’s organization despite having the best goalie to ever play the game they still struggle replacing him to this very day which believe it or not that’s actually quite incredible and it speaks as to how great martan bror truly was but going back to the current Devils I think they’re on to something with Jake Allen I think they found a diamond in the rough and I think Jake is feeling the love and it’s reciprocal amongst the devil’s Discord and you start to see a more confident Jake Allen the stats prove it he had a good year but make no mistake VTech Vanek he had a pretty good year last year racking up all those wins and what happened he’s now with the San Jose Sharks I believe they’re the worst team in the league now and his confidence got [Music] demolished and I don’t want the same thing to happen with Jake Allen I think he is a very good goalie and some something that I’ve actually talked about with Chico rash is just look at the way he plays the game he just moves smoothly and Chico sort of described it as moving like a butterfly I guess he was using a similar analogy as Muhammad Ali float like a butterfly sting like a bee but that’s exactly what Jake Allen was doing and I was present for that Vegas gold nights game in which he was using his paddle to break up plays and uh make sure that the momentum didn’t go the way of the Vegas gold Knights and it wasn’t just that particular game it was the rest of the season I was rather impressed with how Jake Allen wasn’t afraid to use his paddle use his skill to poke the puck away and prevent a shot coming his way I think that really speaks volume as to what Jake Allen has potential to do and he’s been on a team that’s won the Stanley Cup before and that goes a long way too don’t underestimate that that’s why having veterans like Andre palott Eric paa Brendan Smith is so important just because that veteran leadership is vital and it goes a long way for the young guys like heer Hughes brat who haven’t done that much winning in their careers up to this point they’ve had some success like last year but just having someone who’s gone the distance or someone who’s been on playoff caliber teams before it’s always a good plus to have in the locker room and I think Jake Allen is well respected amongst his peers now we’re going to talk about his adjustment to New Jersey momentarily and how he spoke about his teammates but before we continue let me tell you guys about game time last minute deal save up to 60% off buying last minute for sports concerts comedy theater and more flash deal save even more with exclusive inapp deals on select seats ahead of the game or the event Zone deal save even more when you choose a section and let game time choose the seats all in pricing toggling this feature show shows the total upfront with no surprise fees at checkout seat views get a good view of your seat in the app before you buy the lowest price guaranteed or game time will credit you 110% of the difference game time ticket coverage your purchase is covered with the most flexible customer service policy in ticketing industry download the game time app create an account and use the code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code locked on NHL for $20 off your first purchase download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed okay here’s what Jake Allen had to say about this Devil’s team and getting adjusted to this environment take a listen what are you anticipating and excited for you know come next year yeah you know it was uh for me was coming here playing getting acclimated with the group the guys you know the the little things away from the rink are almost sometimes the bigger adjustments than actually on the ice but you know I think there’s a lot of optimism here there should be obviously we we know what Ty type of team we can be you know we’ve seen it through the you know small stretch that I was here and obviously from from Far From my perspective in Montreal the last couple years and um that’s the way I think we should approach is a lot of optimism you know we all want to put our work boots on and uh make sure to find a way to get a little bit better this summer and come in prepared in training camp healthy uh excited you know ready to play you know the the right way and uh I’ve been this league long enough you the same team never comes back um so there’ll be new faces um but uh yeah just come excited learn that take this opportunity to realize what it’s it’s not fun not be in the playoffs um you know watching all these teams play this weekend and next weekend you know should give us some motivation once again Jake Allen has been on a team that’s gone the distance before and the fact that he is optimistic about this Devil’s team despite not being on the roster for even a year like I’ve been saying on this show The Devils will be just fine which is why I think Tom fisherald is well within his right to go big game hunting for somebody as long as he does it in a smart manner I really do want to see this team go the distance and I think Jake Allen is seeing that right before his eyes and I’m glad that he’s optimistic about this team because the Devils based on their history the last decade or so it’s easy to see why people are a little pessimistic about it and why people have their doubts heading into the new year but I think this team is definitely going to go places and getting Jake Allen on this roster diamond in the rough but just utilize him correctly don’t overwork him don’t ask too much I think for Jake Allen as long as he feels welcomed as as long as he feels accepted as long as he has a decent sized role I think he is definitely going to play a big part as to how the devils are going to turn around their season come next year Jake Allen has been phenomenal and I’m running out of adjectives to describe it making big time saves and just giving the devil some hope going down the stretch of the season in which things were looking a little murky let me know what you guys think what do you think about Jake Allen and what he brought to the devil’s organization I’m curious to your guys’ thoughts leave a comment down below if you’re watching on YouTube if you’re listening on podcast streaming service hit me up on my personal xpage app at trat 4 the show’s xpage app at lockon Devils as’s episode that’s all the time I have for you continue to stay safe have a wonderful day New Jersey go Devils I’ll catch you guys in the next episode thanks for listening once again

Jake Allen was acquired by the New Jersey Devils at the trade deadline. It seemed like the Montreal Canadiens were done with him which is why they retained 50% of his salary. He found new life with the Devils. One could make an argument that he and Jesper Bratt were the MVPs of the team. Because Allen was one of the main reasons why the Devils kept afloat in the Wild Card standings.

Interview soundbite: Jake Allen (Courtesy of the New Jersey Devils)

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LODevils?sid=YouTube

Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL

Subscribe to Locked On Devils!
Follow me on the “X” app: @treymatt4
Follow the show on the “X” app: @LockedOnDevils
Listen to Locked On Devils: https://linktr.ee/LockedOnDevils

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Monopoly GO!: Get in the game and join your friends. Click HERE to Download MONOPOLY GO! now free on The App Store or Google Pay. The mobile hit twist on classic MONOPOLY.

eBay Motors: For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

Policygenius: Check life insurance off your to do list in no time with Policygenius. Head to policygenius.com/lockedonnhl to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.

Sleeper: Download the Sleeper App and use promo code LOCKEDONNHL to get up to a $100 match on your first deposit. Terms and conditions apply. See Sleeper’s Terms of Use for details.

Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel: FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARENTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – win or lose! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Thumbnail credit: USA TODAY

#NewJerseyDevils #Devils #NHL #JakeAllen