The New Jersey Devils are most likely going to lose backup goalie Jake Allen to free agency come Tuesday, July 1.
According to Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff, the veteran backup goalie is looking for a two-year deal at $5 million a season.
Talks to continue to be ongoing between the #njdevils and Jake Allen. He is looking for 2 years minimum but prefers more term.
Belief is he wants in the $5M AAV range but depends on the market and term. Goalie market is shallow and Allen is the top UFA G. @DailyFaceoff
— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) June 25, 2025
That is a high price for the New Jersey Devils, who are dealing with salary cap issues even after the trade of Erik Haula to the Nashville Predators. Currently, the Devils have $14.4 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia.com. As we all know, the Devils have to pay restricted free agent defenseman Luke Hughes. That will take up a good chunk. Most likely half that amount. So the Devils really can’t afford to bring back Allen at that price.
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Remember, the Devils got Allen two seasons ago at the trade deadline from the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens retained 50 percent of Allen’s $3.85 million cap hit, so the Devils had him on their books at $1.925 million. Allen played in 31 games with a record of 13-4 with a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Those are solid numbers for a 1B goalie. And Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald would like to bring him back.
“As far as goaltending, Jake Allen is one of the better ones on the market. His camp tells me he would like to stay. He really enjoyed his time here. We’re trying to figure out what that number is, and then does it work for us,” Fitzgerald told Mike Morreale of NHL.com
Tom Fitzgerald will look to keep the tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen together.
He will speak with Allen’s agent about his future #NJDevils
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) May 8, 2025
And while Allen and Markstrom work hand in hand together and feed off of each other, this is a business after all. With the goalie market so thin this year, Allen will be one of the guys coveted by teams that need goaltending. As Fitzgerald noted, the market will dictate what Allen receives.
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According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, seven or eight teams will be looking for goaltending, including the Los Angeles Kings, who want a goalie to pair with Darcy Kuemper.
Pierre LeBrun: 7 or 8 teams looking at Jake Allen; the Kings are looking for a second goalie to partner up with Darcy Kuemper – The Athletic
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 25, 2025
In addition, the Edmonton Oilers want to change their goaltending so that he could be a fit there. As Di Marco wrote, the Philadelphia Flyers will also make a run at Allen. There is a good chance he will be leaving.
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And while LeBrun reports that the Devils will be looking for a backup goalie to pair with Markstrom, they already have one in Nico Daws, who is on a relatively inexpensive contract at $900,000. Not to mention, it is a one-way deal. Daws has shown he can back up and play in the NHL for the Devils. Not to mention, if Daws can be the backup, the Devils have options.
However, for a team needing cap savings, bringing in a player who costs over $1 million on the cap does not help them address their team’s needs.
Again, despite what Fitzgerald and the Devils want, the expectation is that Jake Allen will sign with a new team on July 1.
