Blues Re-Sign Allen

The St. Louis Blues have re-signed goaltender Jake Allen to a new 2-year deal, which will pay him in the neighbourhood of $4.7 million over the next couple of years, a $2.35 million cap hit per season.

Allen's new deal will take him into one more year of restricted free agency, as he'll be 26 when this deal expires and the Blues will have the comfort of some added protection in making a goalie decision over the next couple of years.

Allen combined with Brian Elliott for one of the more reliable tandems in the NHL last season, with the 24-year old appearing in 37 games for the Blues, picking up 22 wins, 4 shutouts and 2 assists for 54 points last season.  Those numbers had him ranked 23rd among netminders, which is better than some starters in the NHL last season, as he was designated the 1B goalie on the team.

With the Allen signing, the Blues only have a couple more restricted free agents to take care of, including the hefty deal that is expected for Vladimir Tarasenko.

The debacle that was the coaching decision for the starting goalie in the playoffs in St. Louis has cast a huge, dark cloud over the team's winning ability and who is going to be the 1A and who will be the 1B guy.

Going into last season, it seemed a little more clear, as Elliott was tapped as the 1A guy and got the starts, minus his injury, but when the playoffs rolled around, Allen got the nod and confusion reigned supreme.

If the Blues are going to ride the hot hand, this could be a long season upcoming and the projections between the two keepers will be split and the recommendation is that you avoid the confusion, as best you can, unless you have to take that gamble on one or the other.