The suspense surrounding Cayden Primeau‘s future with the Montreal Canadiens ended on Monday, when the team traded the negotiating rights to the 25-year-old to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2026 draft. The Habs submitted a qualifying offer to him prior to the 5:00 p.m. EDT deadline to retain his rights.
Primeau began the 2024-25 season in the NHL, backing up Samuel Montembeault. Primeau lost his job after obtaining two wins in 11 games with 4.70 goals against average and .836 save percentage. General manager Kent Hughes delivered the news to him during the Christmas break.
The Michigan native did not sulk during his time in the AHL. Pascal Vincent continuously praised the positive attitude. He contributed to the Laval Rocket’s first place overall finish with a 21-2-2 record, 1.96 goals against average and .927 save percentage. His performance dipped in the playoffs, where he had 3-4 record, 3.27 goals against average and .878 save percentage. Vincent gave the net to Jacob Fowler in the conference final against the Cleveland Monsters and the Rocket’s were in a must-win situation.
At the end-of-season media conference, Primeau avoided talking about his future, saying the organization controlled that decision. His body language suggested he wanted a change of scenery. There’s no guarantee that a NHL spot is waiting for him with the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Petr Kochetkov are ahead of him on the depth chart.
Restricted Free Agents
The Canadiens also submitted qualifying offers to forward Sean Farrell, defensemen Jayden Struble and William Trudeau and goalie Jakub Dobes. The offer allows the team to retain the signing rights of the four players.
Four players, forwards Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Xavier Simoneau, defensemen Noel Hoefenmayer and Gustav Lindstom, become unrestricted free agents on July 1st. Lindstrom recently signed a five-year contract with Djurgardens IF of the SHL.
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