Latest news with #CaydenPrimeau
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-Canadiens Goalie Could Shine With New Team
Back on June 30, the Montreal Canadiens traded goaltender Cayden Primeau to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick. The trade was understandable, as Primeau fell down the Canadiens' depth chart and was placed on waivers by them in December. Furthermore, Jakub Dobes ended up playing very well after being called up to the Canadiens' roster, so it was time for Montreal to move on from Primeau.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadiens Ink Promising Goaltender To New Contract
When the player-elected arbitration deadline passed yesterday, only Jayden Struble elected to use that course of action. Jakub Dobes was eligible for it, but he didn't file. It turns out he didn't need to; less than 24 hours later, the Montreal Canadiens announced they had put pen to paper with the promising young goaltender. Dobes got his baptism of fire in the NHL this past season when he was thrown into action against the Stanley Cup defending champions, the Florida Panthers, on December 28. After the Christmas break, the Canadiens put Cayden Primeau on waivers, and when he was ignored, they assigned him to the Laval Rocket and recalled Dobes as a result. Advertisement Canadiens: Cole Caufield Lost More Than a Teammate Projected USA Olympics Roster: Which Canadiens' Player Is Missing? Canadiens: Struble Elects Arbitration Nobody thought the 24-year-old would be making his debut last season. When the Canadiens traded Jake Allen at the trade deadline during the 2023-24 season, it was because they believed Primeau was ready to shoulder the load of backup. His numbers did suggest that he was. He finished that season with an 8-9-4 record, a 2.99 goal-against average, and a .910 save percentage. Unfortunately, October was a bad month, followed by an even worse one in November and a terrible one in December. By the time he was sent down to Laval, he had a 2-3-0 record with a 4.70 GAA and a .836 save percentage, and Martin St-Louis had lost faith in his backup, which prompted Dobes' arrival. In his first game with the Canadiens, he blanked the Panthers, making 34 stops. He won his first five starts, dispatching the Panthers, the Colorado Avalanche, the Washington Capitals, the Dallas Stars, and the New York Rangers: four playoff teams and a team with a lot of big guns. The following 11 games were more challenging, and he went through a couple of three-game losing streaks, but he bounced back, and in his last two games of the season, he had a .973 SV and a .971SV, which gave him a 7-4-3 record with a 2.74 GAA and a .909 SV on the season. Advertisement The new deal he signed is a two-year, one-way contract with a $965,000 AAV and comes in just $185,000 under the one signed by 28-year-old free agent signing Kaapo Kahkonen. Interestingly, Dobes' deal will end exactly when Samuel Montembeault's does, leaving Kent Hughes free to implement a new salary structure in the crease depending on how each goaltender performs. Montembeault will be a UFA and Dobes a RFA with arbitration rights, just one year away from unrestricted free agency. Meanwhile, Jacob Fowler will have just one year left on his ELC. When training camp rolls around, Dobes will have a battle on his hands for the backup role, while most are ready to give it to him, Kahkonen has been clear about his intention of making his way back to the NHL. The Finn has 140 games of NHL experience and will have to clear waivers to be assigned to the Laval Rocket. It will be interesting to see how Dobes handles the internal competition. Still, he does start with the inside lane, being well-known within the organization and having demonstrated his capabilities last season. While Dobes is a different kind of goaltender from what we've been used to seeing in Montreal, he has been entertaining to watch. While his technique and positioning aren't necessarily great, he finds a way to stop the puck, and often in spectacular fashion, even if he caused it to be stunning in the first place. Unlike Samuel Montembeault, he's also very aggressive in his crease with a strong stick he uses to cut passes and abort plays. He doesn't hesitate to police his crease and push out any intruder. With this signing, Struble is now the sole free agent on the team that Hughes needs to sign. Advertisement Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
CTV News
01-07-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Canadiens net 2026 draft pick from Hurricanes for Primeau's negotiating rights
Montreal Canadiens goalie Cayden Primeau, right, makes a stop against Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Sean Monahan during an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon) The Montreal Canadiens have acquired a seventh-round draft pick in 2026 from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for goaltender Cayden Primeau's negotiating rights. In 2024-25, Primeau appeared in 11 games with the Habs and registered a 2-3-1 record, in addition to 26 games with the AHL's Laval Rocket where he posted a 21-2-2 record, a .927 save percentage and a 1.96 GAA. The native of Farmington Hills, Mich., was selected by the Canadiens in the seventh round (199th overall) of the 2017 NHL entry draft. On souhaite une bonne continuation à Cayden! Thank you and best of luck, Cayden! — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 1, 2025 This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025.
Ottawa Citizen
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Cayden Primeau's run with Canadiens organization appears to be over
Article content Cayden Primeau can take credit for helping the Laval Rocket finish first overall in the AHL this season. Article content But as Primeau heads into an uncertain summer, the Rocket goaltender must accept his share of the blame for being unable to help the Rocket get past the Charlotte Checkers in the recent Eastern Conference final. Article content 'It was a tough ending. You never want to go out without winning, but we can be really proud of what we accomplished this year,' Primeau said during the team's recent end-of-season media availability after being swept by Charlotte. 'You have to give it to (Charlotte); they're a great team. There's only one winner at the end of the day. There's a lot of unhappy teams. It takes a lot to get to where we did. We can be proud of that.' Article content Article content Primeau, 25, was 21-2-2 this season with Laval. His goals-against average was a scintillating 1.96. His save percentage was .927 and he had two shutouts — one in his second game after clearing waivers and being loaned to the Rocket on Dec. 29 after struggling again with the Canadiens. Article content Article content Selected in the seventh round (199th overall) in 2017, Primeau was 2-3-1 with Montreal this season over 11 games with a 4.70 GAA and .836 save percentage. In what might have been his final appearance on Dec. 12, he allowed three goals on seven shots in relief of Samuel Montembeault during a 9-2 Bell Centre loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Article content 'To say I was playing my best hockey (with Montreal), I'd be lying,' Primeau said. 'The team at the beginning of the year — I think everyone knows it — wasn't the team that was playing in the playoffs. Coming to Laval … you don't have many bad days. You want to be in the NHL, but when you're in Laval, it's a great opportunity.' Article content Article content Primeau was recalled by the Canadiens on April 27 — but never played — after Montembeault suffered a lower-body injury in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series against Washington. Primeau backed up Jakub Dobes the next two games before Montreal was eliminated, then returned for Laval's post-season run. Article content But Primeau was inconsistent in the playoffs for the Rocket, with a 3.27 average and .878 save percentage over eight games. While he shut out Rochester in the deciding game of the North Division final, he was exposed by Charlotte, allowing 12 goals over portions of three games. Article content Article content Primeau was removed in the second period of both the second and third games after allowing four goals in each contest. Laval head coach Pascal Vincent then started Jacob Fowler in Game 4, a 3-2 loss. Article content 'To start, it's not an easy league,' Primeau said. 'It's a grind. It was an emotional series before, going to Game 5 against a good (Rochester) team. A lot of guys gave everything they had in that series and into that fifth game. I don't think I handled it well in terms of (preparing for Charlotte). Going into that series and falling down early, we were chasing the series from the get-go. I think that was the biggest thing.'
Montreal Gazette
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Cayden Primeau's run with Canadiens organization appears to be over
Laval Rocket Cayden Primeau can take credit for helping the Laval Rocket finish first overall in the AHL this season. But as Primeau heads into an uncertain summer, the Rocket goaltender must accept his share of the blame for being unable to help the Rocket get past the Charlotte Checkers in the recent Eastern Conference final. 'It was a tough ending. You never want to go out without winning, but we can be really proud of what we accomplished this year,' Primeau said during the team's recent end-of-season media availability after being swept by Charlotte. 'You have to give it to (Charlotte); they're a great team. There's only one winner at the end of the day. There's a lot of unhappy teams. It takes a lot to get to where we did. We can be proud of that.' Primeau, 25, was 21-2-2 this season with Laval. His goals-against average was a scintillating 1.96. His save percentage was .927 and he had two shutouts — one in his second game after clearing waivers and being loaned to the Rocket on Dec. 29 after struggling again with the Canadiens. Selected in the seventh round (199th overall) in 2017, Primeau was 2-3-1 with Montreal this season over 11 games with a 4.70 GAA and .836 save percentage. In what might have been his final appearance on Dec. 12, he allowed three goals on seven shots in relief of Samuel Montembeault during a 9-2 Bell Centre loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 'To say I was playing my best hockey (with Montreal), I'd be lying,' Primeau said. 'The team at the beginning of the year — I think everyone knows it — wasn't the team that was playing in the playoffs. Coming to Laval ... you don't have many bad days. You want to be in the NHL, but when you're in Laval, it's a great opportunity.' Primeau was recalled by the Canadiens on April 27 — but never played — after Montembeault suffered a lower-body injury in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series against Washington. Primeau backed up Jakub Dobes the next two games before Montreal was eliminated, then returned for Laval's post-season run. But Primeau was inconsistent in the playoffs for the Rocket, with a 3.27 average and .878 save percentage over eight games. While he shut out Rochester in the deciding game of the North Division final, he was exposed by Charlotte, allowing 12 goals over portions of three games. Primeau was removed in the second period of both the second and third games after allowing four goals in each contest. Laval head coach Pascal Vincent then started Jacob Fowler in Game 4, a 3-2 loss. 'To start, it's not an easy league,' Primeau said. 'It's a grind. It was an emotional series before, going to Game 5 against a good (Rochester) team. A lot of guys gave everything they had in that series and into that fifth game. I don't think I handled it well in terms of (preparing for Charlotte). Going into that series and falling down early, we were chasing the series from the get-go. I think that was the biggest thing.' Primeau has rarely found success with the Canadiens, but generally has been stellar in the AHL. He might be destined to spend his career in the minors, although Vincent has repeatedly said that Primeau is a big-league netminder. But should Primeau ascend to the NHL on a regular basis, it's unlikely to be with the Canadiens. Between Montembeault and Dobes, Montreal is set. It's also obvious Fowler, who joined the Rocket late in the season from Boston College, will be Laval's first-string netminder next season. It would appear a change of scenery is necessary for Primeau at this stage of his career. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is eligible to become a restricted free agent on July 1. Primeau was reluctant to discuss his future while addressing the media for nine minutes, still trying to overcome the bitter taste from the playoff defeat. 'The season just ended,' he said. 'I haven't looked too much into it. I'm not the one who makes those decisions. Montreal has my rights. We had a great team and can be proud of what we accomplished to get to where we did in the regular season as well. 'It's a big summer, and I'm excited.'
