Cayden Primeau has to be feeling the pressure. After a disappointing start to his season, the backup goaltender has seen little ice time lately. He needs to turn it around to secure his spot on the roster and tonight’s game against Columbus his his opportunity. Should he have a solid performance, the Canadiens will undoubtedly give him a little more rope; should he flounder, it’s hard to imagine general manager Kent Hughes remaining patient for much longer.
Whether the option is to call up a goaltender from Laval or to acquire a veteran through trade or free agency, if Primeau continues his sub-standard play the Canadiens would need to do something.
That is the short term picture. The longer term picture regarding Primeau’s tenure in Montreal looks even more bleak. Jacob Fowler is having a standout season in the NCAA and Jakub Dobeš is off to a strong start with Laval. At 23 years old, Dobeš may be closer to being NHL ready than Fowler but rest assured, they are probably both in Montreal’s long term plans at the moment.
The question of whether Montreal should risk losing Primeau to waivers is often asked. It really isn’t something to lose a lot of sleep over, particularly when you have two solid prospects in the organization. And let’s not forget Connor Hughes who was scooped up from the Swiss Leagues where he put up some stellar numbers. And so far this season, Hughes has a better SV% with Laval than Dobeš … but both have played extremely well.
So the heat is on Cayden Primeau and tonight would be a good time for him to turn his game around and secure his spot as an NHL goaltender. He can’t afford many more poor to mediocre performances.
