Montreal Canadiens 2019-20 Season Report Card Grades

B. Carey Price had a tumultuous season and was hung out to dry by his defence and his head coach for much of the season. He was vastly overworked, having played 171 minutes (or 2.85 games) more than any other goalie in the league and his numbers suffered as a result. He was in very poor for in November but looked like the Carey Price of old for the majority of the season. While his stats (2.79 GAA, .909 S%) were mediocre at best, he did decently well given the circumstances. This team rises and falls with Carey Price, and he will need to step up his game to a consistently high level of play if he is going to justify that megalodon-sized contract… not that the cap-space would be used for much else otherwise.. . . CAREY PRICE

. . KEITH KINKAID. F. This season did not go according to plan for @Blockaid. Having been brought in as a free agent, the hope had been that he would present the Canadiens with their first reliable backup goaltender since Peter Budaj. Unfortunately, following a promising preseason performance, Kinkaid lasted just six games with the Canadiens before being rather ruthlessly sent down to the Laval Rocket. His six games as a Hab featured one win, a 4.24 GAA and a .875 S%. His fortunes did not improve in Laval, posting a 3.44 GAA and a .876 S% in 13 contests, winning just three games. He has since been loaned out to the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate where he picked up his play a bit. Since he failed to become a solid backup option, he gets an F.

CHARLIE LINDGREN. C -. Lindgren played six games with the Habs this season, winning twice. While his stat line is nicely patterned: 3.33 GAA and .888 S%, it is far from impressive. Watching him play is rather interesting as he has a tendency to make a handful of unbelievable saves every single game, before failing to track a simple shot from the point. In other words, he has nearly elite reflexes but leaves much to be desired when it comes to what should be routine saves. I hope he is able to improve these attributes for next season and contend for the backup job as his athleticism results in saves that get fans to jump out of their seats.. .

CAYDEN PRIMEAU. B+. Primeau played just two games with the Canadiens in his rookie season as a pro, but impressed fans with his calm demeanour and success at keeping the puck out of his net. Primeau won once and deserved to win his debut, but was let down by the Habs’ offence. He saved 93.1% of shots directed his way and posted a 2.52 GAA; not half bad for a 20-year-old drafted in the seventh round. Of course, the NHL sample size is tiny, so his AHL stats are much more revealing of his current development. Primeau had an excellent start and an excellent finish to his debut AHL season, but the middle portion of the season dragged his stats down to a 2.45 GAA and a .908 S%.. .