Countdown to TradeCentre: No Allen to Avs deal

The NHL's March 8 Trade Deadline is approaching, and teams are making decisions on whether to buy or sell, and on which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out today's trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

No Allen to Avs deal

Despite rumours that emerged on Thursday, there is no deal in place that would send Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen to the Colorado Avalanche, TSN Hockey Insiders Darren Dreger and Chris Johnston confirmed.

"There is no Jake Allen deal to Colorado. The two clubs haven’t spoken in days but there has been previous discussions. Nothing close at this stage," Dreger wrote on X.

"Told the reports of #habs Jake Allen being traded to the #Avs are inaccurate," Johnston added. "Nothing happening there ... at least right now."

More on Allen and the Canadiens below. 

Hughes speaks on Canadiens outlook

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes addressed his trade deadline plans Wednesday on the Got Yer Back podcast with TSN's Ryan Rishaug and LeBrun. 

The Canadiens are shaping up as sellers once again as the team sits eight points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Goaltender Jake Allen ranks No. 11 on the latest TSN Trade Bait list, with defenceman David Savard also believed to be drawing interest.

“One consideration is how quickly we’ll be ready to compete for a playoff spot. It’s also how quickly our guys will be ready to assume more responsibility on the back end and how his leadership brings those players along,” Hughes said when about the possibility of moving Savard. “It’s a complicated situation. We didn’t come into the season with the expectation of making the playoffs, but we weren’t going to roll over.

“We made the decision to trade Sean [Monahan] to Winnipeg, which we knew would weaken our team in the short term, but we thought it was the right thing.

"Whether it’s David Savard or other players and other decisions, it’s a very fluid, dynamic situation.”

The Canadiens have carried three goaltenders on their roster throughout this season in Allen, Sam Montembeault, and Cayden Primeau. Hughes confirmed Wednesday that signing Montembeault to a three-year contract on Dec. 1 shifted the team's focus to moving either Allen or Primeau.

Hughes added, however, that the goaltender market has been slow to develop this season as teams need to maneuver the salary cap while finding the right fit. While he did not promise he would move a goaltender before the deadline, Hughes does not anticipate going into next season with three on the roster.

“Between now and the start of next season we plan to resolve that situation. When that happens, to a certain degree, it depends on the teams in the market for a goalie and whether they can make that happen,” said Hughes.

“I know it’s not ideal, particularly for Jake and [Primeau], but they’ve been incredibly professional about it. People want the issue resolved and I think, in this market, people want it resolved by the trade deadline. If it’s there we’ll do it, if it’s not, I’m confident it’ll be resolved before the start of next season.”

Montembeault leads the group with a 12-8-4 record this season with a .908 save percentage and a 3.06 goals-against average. Signed at a cap hit of $1 million this season, his average annual value will rise to $3.15 million when his extension kicks in this summer.

Allen, 33, has a 5-10-3 this season with a .895 save percentage and a 3.63 GAA. He is signed through next season at a cap hit of $3.85 million.

Primeau, 24, is 5-5-1 with a .903 save percentage and a 3.07 GAA over 12 appearances this season. He carries a cap hit of $890,000 ahead of restricted free agency in 2025.

Will the Devils Strike? 

The New Jersey Devils have made headlines with their reported pursuit of Jacob Markstrom, which rocketed the goaltender to No. 1 on the updated TSN Trade Bait board Wednesday.

That has timed up with star centre Jack Hughes' attention-drawing comment after Monday's 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken.

 "When we get the saves, it's much easier to win." Hughes told MSG Network in an on-ice interview as the game finished.

Devils legend and executive vice president of hockey operation Martin Brodeur was tight-lipped on the team's trade deadline plans while speaking to NHL.com on Wednesday. 

"We don't know what teams are going to do," Brodeur said. "Who's going to sell off? Who's going to buy in? It could be teams in front of us (in the standings) that do things you don't expect. We just have to stay the course.

"Right now, we're focusing on what's happening on the ice. I think we're still a ways away from the deadline but as we get closer, there will be a lot more talks. Then we'll see where we're at that time ... if we need to make a decision. But we're not there yet."

The Devils are just two points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference as they lean on goaltenders Vitek Vanecek and Nico Daws. Vanecek, 28, has a 17-9-3 record this season with a .890 save percentage and a 3.18 GAA. Daws has posted two straight wins to improve his record to 5-5 with a .906 save percentage and a 3.02 GAA.

New Jersey is currently carrying three goaltenders on their roster after recalling Akira Schmid, who has a 5-7-1 NHL record this season, from the AHL on Monday.

TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun confirmed earlier this week that the Devils engaged with the Flames on trade talks surrounding Markstrom, but clarified the goaltender was never asked to waive his no-trade clause. 

"What was not presented to Jacob Markstrom was this question, 'Would you waive to go to New Jersey?' And so that tells you a couple things," LeBrun explained on Insider Trading. "One, that those trade conversations didn't escalate to the point where it got to that juncture. It also asks a couple of other questions, which is why didn't it? And one of things we found out on this day was that there seems to be a discrepancy between the two teams about how much money either team should be paying Jacob Markstrom, which is to say that the Devils would want Calgary to retain some of the salary left on Markstrom's contract in any trade.

"He's got two and half years left on his deal at $6 million a year, so you can see why the Flames aren't too interested in that or at least if they were going to contemplate that, can the two teams agree and what kind of price that would cost. So, who knows if this thing is dead or not between the two teams, but certainly the Devils still need to upgrade their goaltending position."

The 34-year-old netminder has a 17-14-2 record this season with a .916 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average. He has rebounded significantly this season, after posting a .892 save percentage last year. 

Trade Bait Update

The TSN Trade Bait board was expanded to 50 names Wednesday with the deadline just over three weeks away.

The Calgary Flames lead the board with the trio of Jacob Markstom, Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin. 

Pittsburgh Penguins pending unrestricted free agent Jake Guentzel was next on the list at No. 4. The 29-year-old forward, however, did not play in the final 12 minutes of Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, with head coach Mike Sullivan stating post-game that Guentzel is being evaluated for an upper-body injury.

Here is the full updated 50-asset list: