Just when it seemed like the Montreal Canadiens had missed their best opportunities to trade one of their three goalies this season, they appear to be showcasing their young netminder Cayden Primeau. Brad Holland, the assistant general manager of the Edmonton Oilers who also does professional scouting, attended the Canadiens vs Vegas Golden Knights game, and for the second time in just a week, Primeau was starting in goal.
Before the game, Primeau had only started two of the 16 games for the Canadiens. Against a top team like the Golden Knights, you normally wouldn’t see the third-string goalie start unless there was a good reason. Since both of the other goaltenders were healthy and playing well, this appeared to be a showcase game for who was in town. Primeau has arguably been fed to the wolves in all three of his starts this season, but the Canadiens are trying to get him more acclimated and ready for a full-time backup role through trial by fire.
Primeau put up good numbers in one of his three games, this one coming against the Detroit Red Wings where he stopped 27 of 29 shots and got the win. The other two games were against the New Jersey Devils when they were at full health at the start of the season and the Golden Knights who sit alone at the top of the standings with 13 wins already. Primeau’s stats from the 6-5 loss against the Golden Knights tell a different story than if you watched him play. Vegas outshot the Canadiens 18-6 in the first period, but Primeau shut the door. He ended the night with 36 saves, but the Golden Knights just took over the game and there was only so much the goalie could do to keep the game close.
Have the Oilers Switched Directions?
For a while, the belief was that the Oilers were interested in Jake Allen. He is a veteran and signed through 2025. Both of these factors are good selling points for the Oilers who appear to be done with Jack Campbell, a veteran as well. Acquiring Allen would have taken a big weight off of Stuart Skinner‘s shoulders since they could split time. Plus there would be a veteran voice in net guiding Skinner, like Allen is likely doing in Montreal with Sam Montembeault and Primeau.
If the Oilers have switched directions and are more seriously looking into Primeau to back up Skinner, then Edmonton has chosen to put a lot of trust in their second-year goalie that he can carry them into the playoffs and to a Stanley Cup. We know that Ken Holland had looked around the market to find a place to move Campbell and acquire a goalie, but didn’t pull the trigger on anything because he didn’t like what it would cost.
One of the cheapest options and someone ready for a bigger role is Primeau. He won’t get the playing time in Montreal, and as a coach is trying to win games, it makes little sense to play him twice within one week against these tough opponents if there’s no incentive. The young goaltender would be somewhat of a risky move for the Oilers to make if they aren’t also trading Campbell in the same deal. What does make sense in a potential deal is that Primeau’s cap hit is $890,000 average annual value (AAV) through next season and is a restricted free agent (RFA) after that. This would give the Oilers a promising young goalie behind another already promising goalie. A big problem here is that the Oilers, with Stanley Cup aspirations, would be hoping a 25-year-old and a 24-year-old can get the job done. Both have limited experience.
Related: Oilers Down to Just 2 Choices Left With Jack Campbell
Primeau wasn’t exceptional in the American Hockey League (AHL), but he was very consistent and strong with a .909 save percentage (SV%) in three seasons and a .908 SV% in his rookie season. The Canadiens would have to likely take Campbell and a nice sweetener like a prospect or higher pick back in a trade, but it’s doable. Both the Oilers and Canadiens are in a good place to make a trade of this sort as it would help both teams. The Canadiens are worried about not having a third-string goalie, and that is why they haven’t risked sending Primeau down to the AHL. With all of the injuries that have plagued the Canadiens this season and last, it could have gone bad for them if one of their goalies in the NHL got injured and Primeau wasn’t there to step in. This way they would have Campbell in a season where they won’t be winning anything anyway.
The Oilers would be taking a risk, but if nothing else is out there, I fully believe that doing something to move Campbell instead of taking on his buyout cap hit for the next six years is a good move. The Bakersfield Condors goalies, particularly Olivier Rodrigue, wouldn’t be sitting on the bench every game as the Oilers try to fix Campbell. Instead, he will continue to get starts and develop properly. I’m not against the Oilers seriously scouting Primeau and taking a run at him, but only if it moves Campbell’s contract. The Oilers have won three in a row, but at some point may have to lean on their backup as Skinner has carried the workload recently.