The Montreal Canadiens submitted a qualifying offer to Cayden Primeau on June 30, but it wasn’t because he was still part of the team’s plans; it was simply not to lose an asset for nothing. Which was far from being a surprising development. 
Shortly after the deadline to submit qualifying offers had passed, the Habs announced that they had traded the goaltender’s rights to the Carolina Hurricanes for a seventh-round pick at the 2026 draft.
After being allowed to act as Samuel Montembeault’s backup this past season, the 25-year-old netminder was unable to find his footing, and by Christmas, he had a 2-3-1 record with a 4.70 goals-against average and a league-worst .836 save percentage. Unable to rely on him, the Canadiens sent him down to the Laval Rocket in the AHL, where he was able to salvage his season.
In 26 games in Laval, he posted a 1.96 GAA with a .927 SV and a 21-2-2 record, leading the Canadiens’ farm team to a regular season championship. In the playoffs, he appeared in eight games, posting a 3-4-0 record with a 3.27 GAA and a .878 save percentage.
Given his performances in the NHL this past year and in the high-pressure playoff games, a new beginning away from the Montreal magnifying glass might be just what the doctor ordered for Keith Primeau’s son who joins an organization for which his father played for three years.
