If the Montreal Canadiens end up making anything of their 2024-25 campaign, backup goalie Cayden Primeau may play a much larger role than anyone would have foreseen just 12 months ago. The 25-year-old got his first start in net on Thursday night (Oct. 10) versus the Boston Bruins and it didn’t go well – a 6-4 defeat. Improved goaltending on his part could go a long way in determining where the Canadiens finish in the standings this season.
NHL Draft and NCAA Days
Son of former NHLer Keith Primeau, Cayden is not a name on the lips of many people who follow the Canadiens. Not until recently, anyway. The reality is that he was drafted by the franchise in 2017. As the 199th overall selection, it’s safe to say that he was not exactly the highest priority. Then again, the club still benefitted from the services of Carey Price – who, ironically, is still on the team, at least as far as the payroll is concerned.
Rather than immediately make the jump to the NHL, the New Jersey native spent a couple of seasons at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level, shielding the net for Northeastern University. He was no slouch, posting save percentages (SV%) above .930 two seasons in a row before finally signing an entry-level contract with the Habs in 2019. With that order of business complete, he became a regular fixture for the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate club, the Rocket de Laval.
Although his AHL numbers were not quite as good as those he sported at the NCAA level (the AHL is a tougher league), 2021-22 still proved to be a solid season when he finished 16-12-3, with a 2.94 goals against average (GAA) and .909 SV%.
Primeau Makes the Leap to Montreal
Professional journeys can take time to flourish. Sometimes circumstances beyond one’s control are the determining factors that allow one to take the spotlight. Entering the 2023-24 campaign, the Canadiens went into battle with a goalie trio of Samuel Montembeault, Jake Allen, and Primeau. But details changed along the way. Allen was okay on some nights and rather poor on others. Montembeault, entering his late 20s, was seen as the future as opposed to the then 33-year-old Allen.
The first big decision general manager (GM) Kent Hughes made was extending Montembeault for another three years. Whatever questions fans had about the future between the pipes, the franchise answered one of them in a big way. The other answer, even more emphatic, was when Allen was dealt to the New Jersey Devils before last season’s trade deadline.
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This, in turn, alleviated an issue involving Primeau’s status with the franchise, as the American had not been claimed by any rival team when placed on waivers. With Allen gone, Primeau became the de facto backup. In today’s NHL, being a backup netminder means getting a lot of playing time.
It was a bold choice by Hughes. It wasn’t as if Primeau had not seen action prior to the trade deadline. There were several rough nights, albeit against significant opponents. Save percentages of .857, .828, and .867 against heavyweights like the Vegas Golden Knights (6-5 loss on Nov. 16), Florida Panthers (5-1 loss on Nov. 30), and Carolina Hurricanes (5-3 loss on Dec. 28) were cause for concern.
On the flip side, he also had excellent nights in 2023-24 versus the Detroit Red Wings (3-2 overtime win on Nov. 19), Philadelphia Flyers (3-2 shootout loss on Jan. 10), and Seattle Kraken (5-1 win on March 24). With the good has come the bad. He has potential, but when thrown to the wolves, as was the case Thursday night in Boston (thrown to the bears?), he hasn’t lived up to expectations. More important, he hasn’t lived up to what Montreal needs.
Primeau Can Be Montreal’s Secret Sauce
Such are the gambles GMs around the NHL make all the time when building rosters. The situation the Canadiens find themselves in is the opposite of why the crest is so well known: strong goaltending. There is no Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, or Carey Price to help.
It’s Montembeault and Primeau’s team, with the former viewed as the more dependable starter. That was reaffirmed on opening night with a brilliant 48-save shutout performance against a high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs ensemble. That game made what happened 24 hours later all the harder to digest. The Bruins are a true force. Losing to them and giving up some goals is not the end of the world. But, again, Primeau didn’t look great. High shots that went bar-down were a challenge to deal with, and wrapping or shielding the puck seemed easier said than done (like on Boston’s fifth goal).
It’s another learning opportunity for the young American. He’s certainly going to get them this season. In the modern NHL, the “backup” goalie can play over 30 contests. What adds to the precariousness is that the defence as a whole is still finding its way. Having Lane Hutson, Arber Xhekaj, and Kaiden Guhle is fun, but 48 shots against one night and a host of great scoring chances the next is still a problem. An entire defence playing better with superior tactics, communication, and chemistry is a long-term project. A goalie – by no means an easy job – needs to stop the puck. The rest will follow.
It’s not as though Montembeault is immune to bad performances, either. As such, Primeau must demonstrate that he is more reliable than some would believe. He’s not the third goalie who can be happy to play once in a blue moon. He’s the next man up. If things don’t go well, he’ll be looking over his shoulder for Jakub Dobes, who’s currently in Laval.
As it stands, Primeau is in the final year of his contract before becoming a restricted free agent next July. Even if his future is not in Montreal, he needs to show something for other clubs to take interest. At the very least, the Canadiens would benefit from solid netminding from someone they won’t have to worry about a year from now. Whether he is a short or long-term cog in the Montreal machine, with better performances, Primeau can make the 2024-25 Canadiens a much more competitive team.
