On October 22, 2008, Allen was signed to an entry-level contract by draft team, the St. Louis Blues.[4] He made his NHL debut during the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, coming in to briefly relieve Brian Elliott late in the Blues' second game against the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference semifinals on April 30.[5] Amidst the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, Allen was recalled to the Blues and recorded his first NHL start and win in a 4–3 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings on February 13, 2013.[6]
On March 26, 2016, Allen registered a 4–0 shutout win over the Washington Capitals to help the Blues break their franchise record for longest stretch without allowing a goal.[8] In the 2015–16 season, he tallied 26 wins along with a 2.35 GAA and .920 save percentage.
During the 2016–17 season, Allen was pulled four times in six starts during a rough stretch of play, including a poor showing on January 19, 2017, where he allowed four goals on 10 shots against the Washington Capitals.[9] Allen did not travel with the team to Winnipeg for the January 21 game against the Winnipeg Jets, and stayed home to be with his newborn daughter. He was scheduled to rejoin the team on January 23, for the remaining two games of the road trip.[10] His play soon rebounded however, and he was named Second Star of the Week on February 13.[11] Allen went 3–0–0 with a 1.00 GAA, a .967 save percentage along with his 13th career shutout against the Ottawa Senators on February 7. His two other wins were against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 9, and Montreal Canadiens on February 11.[12]
On November 16, 2017, Allen recorded his 100th career NHL win in a 4–1 defeat of the Edmonton Oilers.[13]
Allen won the Stanley Cup behind rookie netminder Jordan Binnington in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals. He had begun the season as the starting goaltender, however, after the team dove to last place in league standings midway through the 2018–19 campaign, the latter was given a shot.[14] While Binnington shone in goal, Allen finished the second half of the season with a 5–4–4 record.[15]
Montreal Canadiens
Allen in net for the Canadiens in 2021
On September 2, 2020, Allen was traded to the Montreal Canadiens with a 2022 seventh-round pick in exchange for 2020 third-round and seventh-round picks.[16] On October 14, Allen signed a two-year, $5.75 million contract extension with the Canadiens taking him through the 2022–23 season.[17]
Allen immediately distinguished himself as a capable backup goaltender to Carey Price, especially during a stretch of the 2020–21 season where Price was unable to play due to a concussion. Allen's performance in net was widely credited with allowing the Canadiens to make the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, though Allen did not see action during the playoffs following Price's return.[18] For his efforts, Allen received recognition as the team's annual recipient of the Jacques Beauchamp Molson Trophy, awarded to the player deemed to have had a dominant role during the course of the regular season.[19]
Entering the off-season, it was widely assumed that Allen would be taken by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL expansion draft, as the rules allowed for teams to protect only one goaltender, and Price had a contractual guarantee of such protection. However, Price and Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin opted to waive Price's no-trade clause and expose him, allowing them to protect Allen while calculating that Price's age and salary would deter the Kraken from taking him.[20]
Following Price entering into the National Hockey League Players Association's (NHLPA) Player Assistance Program at the start of the 2021–22 season, Allen again assumed the role as the Canadiens' starting goaltender. He was generally judged to be performing strongly even as the team struggled offensively, most notably posting a 45-save shutout in an October 28 road game against the San Jose Sharks that represented the Canadiens' first victory in San Jose in over two decades.[21] On January 12, 2022, Allen sustained a groin injury in a game against the Boston Bruins, and it was announced that he would miss eight weeks of the season.[22] He returned to the team for a March 17 game against the Dallas Stars, making several noteworthy saves in a 4–3 overtime loss.[23] Allen made 10 more appearances in net with the Canadiens, but was forced to exit an April 9 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering a lower body injury while attempting to stop a shot by Leafs forward Auston Matthews.[24] Missing the team's remaining schedule with yet another groin injury,[25] Allen referred to his sophomore campaign with Montreal as a "season from hell."[26]
With Price ruled out of the lineup for the entirety of the 2022–23 season,[27] Allen, entering the final year of his contract with the Canadiens, assumed the role as the team's starting goaltender.[28] On September 28, 2022, newly appointed team general manager Kent Hughes confirmed that he was hoping to negotiate a contract extension with Allen.[29] Thereafter, Allen signed a two-year, $7.7 million extension with the Canadiens on October 1.[30] The ensuing season was marked by the ascending profile of Allen's former backup goaltender, Sam Montembeault, who enjoyed success early on in a supporting role before taking over for a stretch of games in January 2023 when Allen himself was injured.[31] Upon Allen's return to the lineup, he and Montembeault largely alternated starts on an equal basis.[32] Allen finished third in Molson Cup voting as the team's most valuable player at the end of the year, behind captain Nick Suzuki and Montembeault respectively.[33]
Montreal began the 2023–24 season with three goaltenders on their active roster as, in addition to Allen and Montembeault, prospect Cayden Primeau was no longer exempt from waivers and thus could not be sent down to AHL affiliate Laval Rocket without possibly being lost to another team. This precipitated discussions about one of the netminders being traded.[34] Despite his sporadic use, Allen played in his 400th career NHL game on November 2, 2023,[35] and would post a 6–12–3 record and .892 save percentage for the Canadiens that season.[36]
New Jersey Devils
On March 8, 2024, Allen was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a conditional 2025 third-round pick.[37] He made his Devils debut on March 14, making 35 saves in a 6–2 victory over the Dallas Stars.[38]
On October 14, Allen recorded a 20-save shutout in a 3–0 victory against the Utah Hockey Club.[39] Being the first loss in franchise history for Utah, Allen effectively became the first goaltender in NHL history to record a win against 33 different league franchises.[40] On November 23, Allen recorded his 200th career NHL win in a 3–2 victory over the Washington Capitals.[41]
As a teenager, Allen was a promising young golfer, and won back-to-back junior golf championships on the same course he worked on up until he was drafted to the NHL.[44]
Allen and his wife Shannon have three daughters.[45]
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