The Blues have once again decided that Brian Elliott is not the answer in net. Now that Elliott calls a new team home, the spotlight is completely on Jake Allen whether he’s ready or not to take on the role.
Shortly after the trade, Allen commented on the situation and his comments were pretty much what you’d expect.
Just hung up with Jake Allen. He did not see this news coming. Said he is sad to see Elliott go but stressed: "I'm ready for it."
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 25, 2016
Is Allen going to say he’s not ready for the starting job? Of course not. However, now there isn’t a 1A to Allen’s 1B. Now that pressure will be completely on Allen as the backup behind him (whether it’s Anders Nilsson or someone else) won’t be earning too many starts over the course of the season barring an injury.
Allen has shown some true glimpses of brilliance during his career but last season wasn’t exactly the most comforting. In 2015-16, he was decent as his GAA of 2.35 ranked 18th in the NHL while his save percentage of .920 ranked 13th. Those totals trailed well behind Elliott’s numbers (1st in save percentage and 3rd in GAA). There was a clear difference between the two goalies, but now that Elliott is gone, Allen is going to have to improve.
At 25 (he turns 26 in August), Allen still has time to grow as a goalie in the NHL. The Blues have stated they want him to the be their goalie of the future, but with his contract expiring at the end of the 2016-17 season, he’ll need to stand tall and prove he’s the reliable option for the future.
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