Just last week, the idea of someone other than Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll, or Dennis Hildeby starting the Toronto Maple Leafs’ fourth game of the season seemed unthinkable. Then again, goaltending in Toronto seems to be a relentless topic of conversation.
On Tuesday, Cayden Primeau will make his Maple Leafs debut when the club hosts the Nashville Predators to conclude a back-to-back series.
“He looked really good in practice, very comfortable and happy to be here,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Primeau. “All I can go off is practice right now. And we like him in practice. His work ethic's been excellent. He's done a really good job.”
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With Stolarz having started the club’s first three games, Joseph Woll likely would have seen a start by now. But early in training camp, Woll departed the club for personal reasons , and it’s unclear when the goaltender will return to the Leafs. Despite Dennis Hildeby looking strong in pre-season action , the club acquired Primeau off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes eight days ago, moving the 26-year-old into the backup position.
Berube never entertained the thought of overextending Stolarz following back-to-back games.
A new goaltender, however, presents a new challenge for the 1-2-0 Leafs , especially for Toronto's defense.
“I think communication is just a huge point. As I'm going back on pucks for him, just in front of the net, talking about if there's somebody on the back door. Just trying to be as loud as possible,” Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo said of Primeau. “I think that helps everybody's eyes be able to focus on where the puck is for the goalie. I like to just try and be as loud as possible and communicate in the best regard. Have trust within each other. I think he's a very good goalie and I'm excited to see what he can bring tonight.”
Primeau only has 55 NHL games under his belt and has never played against the Predators. His career save percentage is .844, which doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. But the player tended the twine for a Montreal Canadiens team that was at the bottom of the league for most of his six years there.
Why The Maple Leafs Claimed Cayden Primeau And Sammy Blais Off Waivers
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/that-s-still-up-in-the-air-maple-leafs-weigh-options-with-james-reimer-as-dennis-hildeby-shines-at-training-camp">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> have reportedly picked up a couple of players off the waiver wire ahead of their season-opener on Wednesday night.
Given the presumably tighter Toronto defense, tonight should provide an excellent opportunity to evaluate the new goaltender's potential.
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