It’s evident that the Canadiens have not managed Cayden Primeau effectively over the years.
How is it that he was only able to participate in 41 regular-season games during his four years in Laval? Why was his playing time so limited?
Throughout his sixth year as a professional goaltender, Primeau has played 123 regular-season games (along with 16 playoff games) and 54 in Montreal, and although he has remained healthy, he still hasn’t reached the 200-game mark.
It’s apparent that his time in Montreal, where trust in him was lacking, has limited his opportunities to play. Frequently, during his time in Laval, he was summoned to Montreal simply to serve as a backup due to injuries, resulting in minimal playtime.
Consequently, this has hindered his development.
Additionally, the situation with the goaltending trio has significantly restricted his gameplay over the past couple of years, adversely affecting his progression.
According to Stéphane Waite, his former NHL goaltending coach, Primeau’s development has been negatively impacted by the Canadiens, as he mentioned on the Sortie de zone podcast, which was also reported by Alexandre Pratt from La Presse. Waite clarified that these challenges were not necessarily intentional and included the effects of COVID-19.
It seems that Waite is not blaming the coaching itself, but rather the circumstances surrounding Primeau’s situation, possibly hinting at Marc Bergevin’s decisions when other options weren’t available for recalling Primeau.
While it’s not implied that Primeau should be regarded as a poor goalie solely due to these factors—after all, to be one of the lowest-ranked goalies in the last 25 years, some responsibility lies with the player—Pratt raises an important question: will we recognize Primeau’s true potential, rather than viewing him merely as a goalie in the mold of Samuel Montembeault who might have the capacity for significant improvement?
