Montreal Canadiens: Cayden Primeau Contract A Big Win For Everyone

The Montreal Canadiens took care of their last piece of necessary offseason business yesterday. They finally signed goaltender Cayden Primeau to a contract, checking off the final restricted free agent from their list.

Primeau has spent most of the past three seasons with the Laval Rocket of the AHL, but has been called up each year to fill in on the big club when injuries have occurred. His numbers with the NHL team haven’t been the best, but that doesn’t show Primeau’s true potential.

The 22 year old has had his ups and downs at the pro level. After being drafted in the 7th round of the 2017 NHL Draft, the Voorhees, New Jersey native signed his entry-level contract in 2019 following two great college seasons with the Northeastern Huskies.

He had some great stretches of hockey with the Rocket over the past three seasons, as well as some inconsistent play. His save percentage was either .908 or .909 each year and he was not incredibly successful at the NHL level, posting a 4.62 GAA and a .868 save percentage in 12 games last season.

Now, that was with the worst NHL team in the league and at a time when they were playing some of their worst hockey of the season. So, let’s not write off Cayden Primeau based on a dozen games of hockey behind a lacklustre team.

Once he was returned to the Rocket, Primeau played his best hockey in the playoffs. He helped the team make a run to the Calder Cup semifinals, notching a 2.17 GAA and a .936 SV% in 14 postseason contests.

Primeau was able to turn that successful playoff run into a three-year contract extension. The goaltender signed a one-way contract with the Habs yesterday with a cap hit of $890,000.

The one-way aspect of the contract is interesting, as it means Primeau will be paid the full $890,000 each season whether he plays in the AHL or NHL. That’s is a generous pay for a minor league goaltender, but also a goodwill gesture from the Habs ensuring their prospect goaltender is happy.

Primeau is likely ticketed to the AHL this season, with Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault already signed with the big club, and Primeau not needing waivers for one more season. This contract likely ensures he will be a highly paid AHL starter in 2022-23, and part of an NHL tandem the next two seasons, since he would require waivers to be sent down in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

That is all, of course, assuming Carey Price is out for the season with the injury that had him placed on long-term injured reserve.

The Canadiens have guaranteed that their young netminder will be with the organization for three more years at a cap hit less than a million dollars. Meanwhile, Primeau gets to cash in big time while playing in the AHL this season.

That’s a win for everybody, and if Primeau continues to develop and plays like he did in the postseason, he will be earning plenty of NHL starts during this contract.

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