During the off-season, 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 needed a change of scenery.
Primeau appeared in 11 games this past season with the Canadiens, where he posted a 2-3-1 record, a 4.70 goals-against average, and a .836 save percentage. From there, he was placed on waivers by the Canadiens in December and spent the remainder of the 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Laval Rocket.
Down in the AHL with Laval, Primeau thrived, posting a 21-2-3 record, a .927 save percentage, and a 1.96 goals-against average in 26 games. Now, he will be looking to build off this after getting this fresh start with the Hurricanes.
So far, it is fair to say that Primeau has left a solid first impression with the Hurricanes. The former Canadiens goaltender started for Carolina in their preseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a solid night. While the Hurricanes lost by a 2-1 final score, Primeau performed well, stopping 18 out of 20 shots he faced.
However, one save by Primeau stood out the most. The 26-year-old robbed a one-timer from Lightning forward Boris Katchouk by making an excellent diving glove save.
Katchouk undoubtedly had a great scoring chance, but Primeau shut the door in a fantastic way. Primeau will now be looking to continue to stand out for the Hurricanes as their preseason carries on. It will be fascinating to see if the Habs' 2017 seventh-round pick can do just that from here.