The Perfect Fit | FEATURE 

When Jake Allen arrived in New Jersey on March 8, 2024, he had no idea what scenario he was stepping into. It was, he said, very much a blank slate.

It was before the arrival of Jacob Markstrom, who would be added to the fold that upcoming summer, but he also knew that general manager Tom Fitzgerald was going to be aggressive in bringing in a veteran goalie to partner with Allen for the 2024-25 NHL season.

When the tandem was united for the start of the 2024-25 NHL season, it wasn't just about a healthy goaltending rotation; it became a stabilizing force. Together, they created reliability in the crease, and that kind of trust between veteran goaltenders not only helps a team navigate a long season but also provides the backbone for a Devils team with high expectations.

It was a perfect fit.

It was the trust and partnership he developed with Markstrom that played a big role in Allen's belief that New Jersey is the right spot for him on what will likely be his final NHL contract. It has been a partnership like no other in Allen's career. It was the first time he was in tandem with a goalie who was in the exact same moment in their career.

"I think we've been through a lot of the same stuff. I've played against Marky since we were 17, we played against each other longer than we were alive, for 18 years," Allen joked. "I think I understand a lot of what he's been through. He's been in the minors, I've been in the minors. We've been backups. We've both been starters in the league, we've both had lulls. We both had unbelievable streaks. I think it's just the parallels are very similar. So I think it's very easy for me and also for him, to have an appreciation of the day in, day out grind. And we're both the same age, it's not like we're 21 anymore. we're not spring chickens. There's days when we're not feeling great coming to the rink, like, that's the reality of it. That's the reality of being an NHL professional athlete.

"But as you get older, I think we appreciate those things and what you go through to get ready and to prepare and to play, and I know when he's playing, maybe his body's not feeling great, it's the same thing with me, but that's that's part of the enjoyment of it, as part of the what you get, of the grinding to get to your results, and part of the process that makes those results so special," he added. "And I think that's just the biggest thing. It's just we're so similar because we've been through so much of the same stuff, yeah, and we appreciate the same thing."

Markstrom once referred to the Devils' goaltending duo as "Just two old guys battling back there for the Devils."

There are no egos involved, Allen says. And that can be unique for the only job on a hockey team that is singular. There are twelve forward spots to grab, six defenseman spots, but there's just one goalie.

"You know, there's some goalies that you'd say, or some people always say, you're rooting against the other goalie, because you're competing for that one position on your team," Allen said. "The forwards, there's twelve spots, for us there's just one. So, it's a realistic thing that a guy is sitting on the bench and doesn't want the other guy to do well, so he can get the net. But I've really found since I've been here, and the sort of direction that we're trying to go here with the Devils, is like, I feel like I'm his number one fan on the bench."

They're also his biggest fan. Not just Markstrom, but the whole team. As Allen's teammates in New Jersey begin to take part in their first interviews of training camp, something becomes abundantly clear: as much as Allen wanted to return to New Jersey, his teammates were equally eager to have 'Jaker' return.

“Fantastic,” Markstrom said when asked about Allen’s return to the club. “Great teammate, great goalie. He won us a lot of games last year and the way he practices every day, the way he takes care of his body, the way he is off-ice as well, he’s got a fantastic family, wife and great kids. Just to have the Allen family here in New Jersey for five more years is going to be great. It’s something to follow. We’re similar in age, just got to follow that. He’s a leader.”

It speaks to, not only the person that Allen is, but just how big his quiet presence was throughout last season. Whether it was taking the reins when Markstrom went down with an injury, or just being that presence in the room and on the bench, Allen is a beloved teammate.

For Allen, too, there's unfinished business here in New Jersey, even with just a year and a half under his belt in the Garden State. He feels a part of something here. He is finely attuned to what is being built here and wants to be a part of it. His voice carries weight.

"I think we put together a solid season," he reflected. "I don't think it was great, but I think it was solid. It was obviously good enough to get us in the playoffs. And obviously, we were decimated at that point. I think the biggest thing for us, we never really strung together a stretch of wins all year. And that, to me, just screams consistency."

That, he says, will be the biggest challenge for this group in the upcoming season.

It's simple. But it's not.

"I think if we can find consistency, consistency within our game, it should just take us to where we all go," Allen said. "I think it's a complicated word with a simple philosophy."

"Consistency wins in this league," he said. "So you can have a lot of days and nights where you're not going to have your A stuff, but you still find a way to win because your team knows how to play at the right times, the right minutes, carry their emotions properly, handle themselves properly, realize that, 'Hey, boys, we don't have our stuff tonight. Let's pivot here. Let's do this and this and this, and find a way to win. Let the other team make mistakes.'

"And I think that's maturity for one, so I think our group still is getting another year older, but consistency wins in this league," he continued. "And I think if we can realize that we're a good hockey club, if we can just be consistent, it doesn't have to be perfect every night. I think that's the biggest thing that teams think it's got to be tic tac toe, in the net. It's going to be winning five to one. It really is just about consistency. I think consistency always gets you where we want to go, which is a playoff team, it gets your group heading in the right direction. It gets everyone on the same page, gets brings confidence to people."

His experience is invaluable, and his analytical and realistic approach to the game is a true asset for this team. He is very much part of the locker room leadership. He's identified multiple times that this is in all likelihood his final NHL contract, he'll be 40 when the five years come to an end, and he wanted to be in a spot where he could win, where hopefully, in his final years, he can go out on top of the mountain, hoisting the Stanley Cup, just as he did in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues.

His last year and a half in New Jersey gave him every indication that it's most certainly possible but will require the group taking a new step.

"If you don't have a realistic outlook on things you're already set up for failure," Allen said. "That's my thing on it, you've got to have a realistic outlook. And I think our realistic outlook is: we have a good team, that's the way that our group should feel. I feel that way. We should be optimistic that we're fortunate that we're on a good team. There's a lot of teams in the league that have a good team, especially on paper, and obviously, you gotta put it together. But I'm optimistic with our group.

"We're in a situation where, again, we're trying to take another step," he added. " I think it's just one step at a time and see where it goes. That's the way that I want to approach it this year. And I think a lot of the guys do and we got some new faces, but most of the same guys back and a couple new coaches, so there should be a lot of optimism with a healthy group."

For the Devils, Allen’s value extends far beyond his play in net. Whether it’s guiding teammates in the locker room or calming things down during the heat of a game, or being Jacob Markstrom's biggest fan, Allen’s presence provides balance and assurance.

That combination of poise and a proven track record makes him, above all, the perfect fit.