Trade Market: Cayden Primeau's Value Now Known, Many CH Fans Will Be Greatly Disappointed
A few years ago, Cayden Primeau was seen by many fans as the future successor to Carey Price, after he had simply been on fire with Northeastern University in the NCAA and with the US team in the World Junior Championship.
However, once he got to the professional ranks, things became much more complicated for the 23-year-old goalie. Despite an exceptional run with the Laval Rocket in the 2021-2022 playoffs, where he had an excellent 2.12 goals-against average and an impressive save percentage of .936, Primeau has never shown he truly belongs in the NHL.
In his many call-ups with the Canadiens, the American has been very disappointing, securing only 3 wins in 21 games. Moreover, his goals-against average of 4.11 clearly indicated to the Canadiens management that he was far from ready to make the full-time jump into the NHL.
The management will therefore have to make a significant decision regarding the goalie this season, who is waiver eligible if the Habs wish to send him back to the AHL. Already having 15 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 2 goalies under contract, the chances of him securing a spot with the big club at the start of the season are very slim.
Some fans were even hoping that the Canadiens' General Manager, Kent Hughes, would try to trade him this summer in hopes of not losing him for nothing next October. However, it's legitimate to question whether the goalie really has any value on the trade market. According to Marc Dumont, Primeau has practically no value and wouldn't even be claimed by an NHL team if the Canadiens placed him on waivers.
In fact, I'll say it bluntly: there's practically no chance he'd be claimed, unless a team is desperately looking for a goalie. Every NHL team has one or two Primeaus in their prospect pool, and most of them have better statistics. - Marc Dumont
Ouch! It's disappointing to hear that!
This implies that the young goalie's value is practically non-existent at the moment. It's very likely that Primeau will return to Laval next season. In that case, he must absolutely seize the opportunity to showcase himself and demonstrate his full range of talent in order to preserve his future with the Montreal Canadiens and in the NHL in general.
It's a shame as the American seemed to really have some interesting potential when the Habs picked him in the 7th round of the draft in 2017. Therefore, our expectations for the goaltender will have to be significantly tempered, as he may never reach the national league.
Do you believe Cayden Primeau has the talent necessary to become a number 2 goalie in the League?
| POLL | ||
Do you believe Cayden Primeau has the talent necessary to become a backup goalie in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 38 | 43.7 % |
| No | 49 | 56.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
