Bryan Allen’s stint as a Montreal Canadien was as short as he is tall.
The six-foot-five, 226-pound defenceman, who was acquired by the Canadiens from the Anaheim Ducks for forward Rene Bourque on Nov. 20, cleared waivers Tuesday and has been assigned to the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs, the club announced.
The 34-year-old Kingston, Ont., native is in the final year of a contract that carries a $3.5-million salary cap hit. He was acquired in exchange for Bourque (also waived earlier this season by Montreal), whose production had dropped dramatically after the 2014 playoffs.
“Allen’s a big guy with a lot of character who played for one the best Western Conference teams,” Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters at the time of the trade. “I can’t see why he wouldn’t be able to help us here in Montreal.”
The first-round draft pick in 1998 (Vancouver) played just five games for Montreal, four of them losses. In those contests, he registered one assist, two penalty minutes and a minus-2 plus/minus.
Allen hasn’t been in the Montreal lineup since Dec. 3, and the Canadiens have been a defensive juggernaut of late, allowing two goals or fewer in 10 consecutive games.
In 721 career NHL games with the Habs, Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks, Allen has 29 goals and 107 assists.
The Bulldogs’ next game takes place Friday, when they’ll host the Utica Comets at FirstOntario Centre.
