Cayden Primeau had a rocky year in the crease for the Montreal Canadiens. He started the year by losing his backup role in the NHL after posting a 4.70 goals-against average anda. .836 save percentage over 11 games. It led the Canadiens to swap him for Jakub Dobes, and it led to Primeau rediscovering his game with the Laval Rocket.
Primeau was unbelievable in the regular season for the Rocket, recording a 1.96 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage, with a 21-2-3 record. Primeau undoubtedly earned the starting role as the Rocket headed into the postseason, but the arrival of Jacob Fowler complicated matters.
Connor Hughes also had a good year, but a season-ending injury took him out of the running to get any playoff starts. It was Primeau and Fowler's net to fight over, and Pascal Vincent gave them the opportunity to alternate starts as they both fell into a rhythm.
For a moment it looked like Fowler was going to turn into the 2025 version of Carey Price when he joined the AHL for the playoffs and led the then-Hamilton Bulldogs to a Calder Cup. However, when Fowler faltered in Game 4 with four goals on 14 shots, it now looks like it's Primeau's net to lose.
The Rocket didn't need Primeau to be perfect in Game 5, as their offense managed to score five goals. Primeau decided to be perfect anyway, stopping all 27 shots he faced to get Laval to the Eastern Conference Final.
It's unlikely that this performance is saving Primeau's Canadiens career. The writing is on the wall that Dobes will stay as a backup for 2025-26 and Fowler will take over duties in Laval. Whether or not his partner is Huges is another story, but it's unlikely that Primeau would return to Montreal as the No. 4 goalie on the depth chart.
Primeau's resurgence might've bought him a chance to get an opportunity as a backup elsewhere in the league. The least a team can do is give him a chance to prove himself, as he was a valuable backup at the NHL level before this year's struggles. Whether or not Primeau leaves in the offseason, a Calder Cup would be a nice going-away present.