St. Louis Blues: 4 Reasons Jake Allen Should Not Be Given Up On
The St. Louis Blues had Jake Allen on their radar long ago and figured he would be the goalie of the future. That label seems in question now, but the team needs to not give up on him yet.
The St. Louis Blues almost seemed to have Jake Allen earmarked as the starter as soon as they drafted him in 2008. He did not start playing NHL games until 2012-13, but you could tell the team was headed in that direction.
However, like WWE fans – that used to be WWF for those that don’t follow wrestling – many have held that fact against Allen ever since. Like John Cena or Roman Reigns, it has become the in thing for people to hate on him simply for the sake of doing it.
Allen may have reached the point that has eaten up so many Blues players in the past. He might be at the point where, short of actually winning a championship, he will never be able to do right in the eyes of those particular people.
Forget the fact that the defense has hung him out to dry far more often than not. Forget the fact that the offense dries up like a drop of water in the desert. Conveniently forget the fact that he, single-handedly, won the Minnesota series in the 2017 playoffs.
Nope, Allen is tarnished according to those people and Doug Armstrong is pulling the strings to keep him in there. The same way Vince McMahon put his thumb on Daniel Bryan to keep him down, Armstrong is strutting around like the WWE owner, puffing out his chest and shoving Allen down our throats apparently.
Vince Mcmahon Entrance GIF – VinceMcmahon Entrance Wwe – Discover & Share GIFs The perfect VinceMcmahon Entrance Wwe Animated GIF for your conversation. Discover and Share the best GIFs on Tenor.
Despite the theories, there is no conspiracy from on high to keep him in there. These guys are in the business of winning and if a player is preventing that, they take action. There are valid reasons to not give up on Allen, even if the tide is turning against him however.
1.) The Offense Is Non-Existent
Allen has received some of the worst offensive support of any goaltender in the league lately. It has been odd to see the turnaround.
Earlier in the season, it was Carter Hutton that was not getting the goals. Randomly, in the middle of the season, those things started to switch. The offense was working for the Hutt, but not the Snake.
In the Blues last five games where Allen played, they scored a total of 10 goals. That includes the five goals scored against Winnipeg, so a total of five goals spread over the remaining four games.
Two goals per game is bad enough for support. 1.25 goals per game is even worse.
Over his last 10 starts, the Blues have averaged 2.3 goals per game. That is just not cutting it.
This nonsense that the defense plays more tentatively for Allen is just that. It makes no sense that the defense plays worse if they are trying to defend better. If they are not focusing on offense because they worry about Allen, then they are not doing their job because the defense has looked like children stumbling around and that’s not how you play if your sole focus is on defense.
2.) Allen has Deserved Better
Whether fans want to admit it or not, there is an oversimplification of the position of goaltender. The simple-minded view that a good goaltender would have stopped that shot or this shot has to change, even though it never will.
More from Analysis
- St. Louis Blues and Cardinals Similar In All The Wrong Ways
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 82 At Dallas
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 81 Vs Dallas
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 80 At Minnesota
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 79 Vs NY Rangers
Like a baseball hitter going through a slump, things are not always in your control. You cannot just go out there and hit better when there are a multitude of things that could be affecting you. Perhaps you aren’t seeing the pitch right or your mechanics are off just a tick or there is simply a mental block. Those problems don’t automatically make you a bad hitter. It just means you have to find your way out of the slump.
The same is true of goaltenders. They just have an even brighter light on them since they don’t have eight other guys trying to do the same thing. The players on the ice help, but only a goaltender is solely focused on keeping shots out.
We touched on the defensive issues, but it bears repeating – Allen has not been to blame for all the team’s troubles. He shoulders some of the responsibility, but nowhere near as much as many believe.
Jake Allen's last 3 starts:
— Dom (@DominicDs34) February 11, 2018
@ BOS (6th in GF, 5th in home wins)
@ WPG (5th in GF, 1st in home wins)
V PIT (8th in GF)
If you exclude the goalie interference goal: 81/87 .931 save %, 2.00 GAA in three starts v top 8 scoring teams.
Those numbers should get you better than one win
Let those numbers sink in. Just to extrapolate on them, Winnipeg was fifth in goals, Pittsburgh eighth and Boston sixth (at the time the Blues played them). Winnipeg was tops in home wins and Boston fifth.
As the tweet said, if you remove the wrongfully counted goaltender interference goal, Allen has very solid numbers in those three games. Yet, he only has one win to show for it.
There was a Twitter discussion about Allen not stealing games. I argue he played well enough to steal the game in Boston, but one goal in support won’t get you much if you fail to have a shutout every night.
The Snake only has two wins in his last 10 appearances, giving him a record of 2-6-0 over that span – Hutton was the goaltender of record in two of those games.
Allen has given up some bad goals here or there, but if this team is so mentally weak they cannot bounce back, they can’t win anything no matter who is in goal.
Allen does need to play better, there is no doubt of that. If the team cannot help support him though, what is any one man supposed to do? For all his talents, Martin Brodeur could not win in New Jersey once they gutted hit corps of Hall of Fame defenders.
3.) Hutton Is Still A Backup
I struggled on whether to put this one in, simply because I get tired of turning this into an almost political war. It should not have to be that you are against one person if you like another.
I dislike putting down a goaltender at all. Hutton has played incredibly well and his talents should not be diminished. It just cannot be overlooked that Hutton has been a backup his entire career.
Blues fans love to give the excuse that this guy or that was never given a fair shake. More often than not, we figure out that there was an actual reason they didn’t get playing time. Ty Rattie is a great example of that. Brian Elliott, though a solid starter, has yet to lead his other teams to glory the way so many said he would.
Hutton has amazing stats this season, but in his other years his goals against has been anywhere from 2.33 to 2.62. Those are not numbers that demand a new contract and the unseating of the incumbent goalie. Some will argue it was because he was only the backup, but that is my point.
You can’t take both sides of that issue. You cannot say his numbers are so-so because he was a backup but argue he should suddenly become a starter.
Hutton has only played more than 30 games once in his career. While he did earn 20 wins in that season, his goals against was a career worst and his save percentage was the second worst he’s had.
Not every one, but a good number of people want Hutton kept for this season and beyond. Are we really going to hand the position over to a 32 year old who has never played more than half a season? Maybe Allen is not the answer, but neither is that option.
Personally, I’d be happy to see Hutton return next season. If he is the starter, the team is in trouble though.
4.) Trades And Free Agents Don’t Win Cups
The biggest thing seen from fans, whether on chat rooms, social media or talk shows is the Blues need to acquire that true number one goaltender. They have to make a big deal at the deadline or they need to get one in free agency.
Whether you want to consider it coincidence or not, free agent or traded goaltenders do not win the Stanley Cup – not often anyway.
The last goaltender to be acquired in free agency or a trade and win, was J.S. Giguere with Anaheim in 2006-07. Before that, it was Nikolai Khabibulin with Tampa in 2003-04. You could make an argument that Dominek Hasek counts with Detroit in 2007-08, but Chris Osgood played during the finals and he was a homegrown talent even if he had bounced around.
Regardless of how you classify those, that’s three in the last 14 years. Even if you go beyond that, Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour and Hasek are all Hall of Fame goaltenders. Those are the only three other ones to do it since 1992-93. Five goaltenders in 25 seasons is not a large number.
The vast majority have been homegrown talents. It makes sense too, if you think about it.
Unless there are behind the curtain issues, as with Roy or Belfour, championship goaltenders are not usually available. If and when they are, it is usually for a reason the Blues would want to stay away from. Ryan Miller has never fully regained his form and Carey Price has a contract that will never be worth it given the financial constraints it would put on the Blues.
Blues fans are always searching for the next goaltender, but they need to start trying to figure out how to make the ones we have work. Outsiders just don’t often win championships. When they do, they are often all time greats. Giguere was the only exception to that and he had a Hall of Fame cast in front of him.
Maybe Allen is not the guy to win it all. I cannot sit here and guarantee he is. I hope he is because the other options are not great.
Next: Blues Must Make A Deal To Shake Up The Team
The Blues have a reasonably young team with more talent on the way, so the window is not shutting. Goaltenders tend to hit their prime later in their career though, so waiting on Ville Husso is not something I choose to do.
The Blues need to play better to a man – Allen is a part of that. To toss him aside after being a playoff hero just one year ago is like tossing the baby out with the bath water.
Heroes don’t walk through the door in this position. The Blues simply cannot give up on Allen yet.