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Current circumstances don’t favor Kent Hughes…
And there are better goalies on the market.
But there’s still a world in which Allen can be traded if a club panics and can’t get their hands on the goalie they want. With that in mind, Sportsnet has put together a trade involving the Habs goalie and two other NHL teams.
It looks like this:
Jake Allen and Adam Henrique to Colorado
Calum Ritchie, a first-round pick in 2025 (the Avalanche’s), Ryan Johansen and Sean Behrens to Anaheim
Third-round pick in 2026 (the Avalanche’s) to Montreal
In the deal, the Ducks would retain 50% of Jake Allen AND Adam Henrique’s salary:Then they got a 3-way trade between Colorado, Anaheim and Montreal:COL gets Adam Henrique and Jake Allen.ANA gets Calum Ritchie, 2025 COL 1st RD, Sean Behrens, Ryan Johansen.MTL gets 2026 3rd RDer from ColoradoANA retains 50% on both Henrique and Allen.
If Kent Hughes is able to pull a rabbit out of his hat and get his hands on a third-round pick in return for Allen’s services, it’s going to be a party in town.
At least, it should be, because the Habs would have just solved a problem that should have been solved a long time ago.
The idea is interesting, after all, because the Avalanche want to add depth in front of the net. Alexandar Georgiev has been playing too much so far this season, and that’s where adding a veteran like Allen could help, because he knows how to go the distance.
Also, we know how much Jake Allen is struggling this season, but I find it hard to believe he’d be this “bad” with a club like the Avalanche ahead of him.
There are high expectations in Colorado this season, especially with Nathan MacKinnon’s performance since the start of the campaign.
But the question for Denver is this: Is Jake Allen the last piece of the puzzle the Avalanche are missing?
Valeri Nichushkin has returned to the Colorado Avalanche from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program. After being in the program for 40 days for an unknown reason, Nichushkin returned to practice. He will provide a much needed boat to the struggling Avalanche offense once he returns to game action. The Russian was on a bit of a fiery streak before leaving the team, scoring ten points in ten games.
It is not clear when the forward will return to game action, but Samuel Girard may give us an idea. Head coach Jared Bednar treated Girard as if he was returning from an injury. On December 22nd, Girard was given the green light to rejoin the team, and he made his first appearance in a game just nine days after. If the same holds true for Nichushkin, we could see a return against Chicago or Detroit next week.
The Avalanche have been struggling without the power forward in the lineup. With Nichushkin in the lineup, the Avalanche are 26–11–3, without him they are just 9–8–2. Nichushkin brings something that many players on the team cannot, a two-way game. He will pressure the opposing team on defense to steal the puck. He will then drive to the net like an unstoppable train on its tracks, earning the nickname “Choo Choo” from fans. The power play even has seen a difference as well. Ranked eighth before Nichushkin’s departure, it now ranks 19th since.
With the injection of offense and defense that Nichushkin will provide, Colorado may not have to shop nearly as much next week at the deadline. His 42 points in 40 games were helping the Avalanche cruise to easy victories, or giving them the confidence to do it. If he can have the same boost in play that Girard had after his return, the man will be someone to fear on ice. This will for sure give the Avalanche some confidence by moving forward down the stretch.
