The Cayden Primeau Experience Coming To An End in Montreal

In 2017 the Montreal Canadiens selected goaltender Cayden Primeau in the seventh round of the NHL Draft. There have certainly been talks about Primeau being the successor to Carey Price, but Price’s career came to an abrupt end due to a lingering knee issue, which left the Habs with some choices to make, seeing that Primeau wasn’t quite ready to become an NHL starter. In 125 games with the Laval Rocket, Primeau has put up a 63-42-15 record with a 2.74 GAA, .909 SV%, and four shutouts in 123 games. The 23-year-old goaltender has seen time at the NHL level but hasn’t been given a shot to be the full-time starter for the Canadiens; in 21 games with Montreal, he’s struggled, putting up a record of 3-11-2 with a 4.38 GAA and .871 SV%. Primeau has two years left on his AHL deal.

During the Draft, the Montreal Canadiens went out and drafted three goaltenders (Jacob Fowler, Quentin Miller, and Yevgeni Volokhin), and recently went out and signed Strauss Mann and Zachary Emond both of which are capable at playing at the AHL level along with Jakob Dobes, who is expected to play for Laval this season which leaves a log jam in Laval which leaves the question where does Primeau fit in the Canandiens oraganazation now? Well one factor we haven’t looked into is where to the Canadiens currently stand, Montreal currently as Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault as their NHL tandem, Allen, 32, has two years left on his current deal at 3.85 million per, and Montembeault, 26, has one year left at one million, the Habs will certaintly have some choices to make in the next year or two in goal.

What Can The Habs Do With Primeau

Now that we’ve established that it’s unlikely Primeau has a spot in the organization, the Habs have two options, trade Him or waive him. Primeau is only 23-year-old and has shown potential in the AHL, and one would like to think that there has to be a team that would be willing to take Primeau off the Canadiens hands in exchange for a draft pick at the very least. Regardless of how it happens a change of scenery for Primeau would do him well and give him a fresh start with a new organzation and a possibly a chance to prove himself in the next year or two at the NHL level. I expect the Habs to have made their decision on what to do with Primeau before the regular season begins in October.


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Armand Klisivitch

Inside The Rink ECHL Manager | Senior Editor Credentialed Reporter for the Adirondack Thunder & Worcester Railers.

Leave a Reply

Tanner Jeannot of the Los Angeles Kings

Player Profile: Tanner Jeannot

Tanner Jeannot was born on May 29, 1997, in Estevan, Saskatchewan. The left-shooting forward played for three seasons with the Estevan Bruins from 2010-13. In his first two seasons with the U15 club, Jeannot scored 29 goals and collected 18 assists in 42 games and five goals and three assists in ten postseason games. Jeannot […]

Read More
Gage Goncalves of the Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning Make Significant Player Signings To Start July

As free agency has started in the National Hockey League, many teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, are making significant roster moves with free agents and player extensions. Just yesterday, July 1, for day one of free agency, the Lightning extended young 24-year-old Portuguese forward Gage Goncalves to a two-year contract worth $1.2 million a […]

Read More
William Moore 2025 Draft Profile

Breaking Down Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney’s Draft

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney has been in his position for ten years now and has seen success with one Stanley Cup Finals appearance and one historic regular season. This past season was the first time since 2016 that the Bruins failed to make the playoffs. Sweeney has added pieces to the prior core […]

Read More