Cayden Primeau proves once again he’s an NHL goalie

Last night, the Montreal Canadiens lost their second straight shootout to a Florida team, this time 4-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Unfortunately, this means that the Habs have once again dropped a point in the standings.

I know I’m tiresome with this, but it’s the sad reality of a rebuild, this kind of point hurts, especially when it’s guys like Joel Armia, Jake Evans and Josh Anderson who find the back of the net rather than Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and/or Nick Suzuki.

Sure, picking up a point against the mighty Florida Panthers and then another point against the Lightning is good for team morale and confidence, but in the end, it only keeps the Habs away from a good draft pick.

Still, the season isn’t over yet, and the Tricolore still has plenty of time to lose games and get the best possible pick, especially considering the Habs have the toughest schedule to end the season.

Anyway, getting back to last night’s game, one of the major factors behind the Habs’ (useless and damaging) point was Cayden Primeau’s performance.

The 23-year-old goaltender was very solid in the face of the Lightning’s devastating attack, holding the fort and repelling 27 of the 30 shots he faced.

Primeau has competed well tonight. I’ve liked him. He’s coming along.

Patience with goalies. He’s an NHL back-up. He’s arrived to at least that level now.

– Brian Wilde (@BWildeMTL) March 3, 2024

With this performance, Primeau proved once again that he is indeed a National Hockey League goaltender.

Indeed, the Habs’ No. 30 played like a goalie who belongs to the best league in the world, when he was in full control and in no way unstable or unsettled.

In the past, Primeau has been known to have moments in a game when he looks lost and out of sorts, but this season that’s hardly ever the case.

Despite the ménage à trois, Primeau finds a way to perform well on the rare occasions when he’s called upon.

He’s played just 14 games this season, including only six since the start of 2024, and has generally done well.

Primeau has a better save percentage than Vasilevskiy this season.

– Habs Chronicle (@HabsChronicle) March 3, 2024

Clearly, the 23-year-old goaltender deserves to play more often so we can get a better idea of his true place in the NHL.

Is it just a third rotation guard? Is he an auxiliary solid? Is he a 1B keeper? Or can he even be a starting keeper?

For now, I’d say Primeau is a solid auxiliary, but with more performances like the one in yesterday’s game, he could certainly be a solid 1B.

A good high-danger save by Cayden Primeau to keep the game tied early in the third period. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/a7CiKIBatO

– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 3, 2024

It’s easy to see why the Habs didn’t want to send him to the waivers at the start of the season and lose him for nothing.

They preferred to continue evaluating Primeau to get a better idea of his potential.

14 games later, the sample is still small, but what we’ve seen of Primeau is solid.

Between now and the end of the season, it would be a very good idea for Martin St-Louis to play Primeau much more often, even if the ménage à trois remains in place.

The Habs will have some big decisions to make this summer when it comes to goaltending, as it’s clear that starting next season with three goalies is not ideal.

Will Jake Allen be traded?

Could Primeau be traded after raising his value a bit?

Note that behind them, young Jakub Dobes is growing and could be closer to the NHL as early as next season.

All this remains to be seen.