Minnesota Wild Linked To Montreal Canadiens Goaltender In Potential Trade

The Montreal Canadiens have been doing something that is quite unusual this season. They have been running with three goaltenders. Jake Allen has generally been the best of the three which makes sense as several teams including the Oilers and now the Minnesota Wild have reportedly been asking about his price. Kaden Primeau has been better as of late, but he likely figures to be part of the Canadiens' long-term plan anyways. Allen, on the other hand, does not as he is already 33 years old.

That being said, Allen has still provided the team with solid goaltending all season long and he could be had as a reasonable price assuming Kent Hughes is being reasonable about his value.

Further complicating things for the wild is the fact that Filip Gustavsson has just been placed on injured reserve and he could miss significant time. This puts pressure on the Wild to acquire a goalie via trade unless their plan is to run with rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt.

Wallstedt has yet to play a game in the NHL but has been very good in the AHL this season, posting a save percentage north of .930. At this point it only seems like a matter of time before he is an NHL regular starting goaltender. In the meantime though, the Wild may want a veteran presence in net as they may not want to rush the kid to the show before he is ready.

As seen on Canadiens and Wild in Deep Trade Talks: Could Marc-Andre Fleury Retire in His Hometown?