Kent Hughes has a lesson to learn from Cayden Primeau

October 1, 2023

The Montreal Canadiens training camp roster – the one that could match the list Santa Claus is making and will check twice – took a significant cut on Saturday. A significant group was announced just before the preseason game against the Leafs, and others were added just after. 33 players remained in competition for roster spots – 30 if you don’t count the injured Carey Price, Chris Wideman and Christian Dvorak.

Cayden Primeau remains on the list, and not because he has earned a spot as the starter or back-up for the Habs. There is a real possibility that Primeau will make the opening night roster because he is waiver eligible, and GM Kent Hughes would prefer not to lose him to waivers.

We probably shouldn’t be in this situation.

Striking gold in the late rounds

One thing is certain – the Habs are not hesitant to give up on Primeau because of what he cost them. He was drafted by Montreal in the seventh round at number 199 overall in the 2017 entry draft. At that stage of the draft, teams are managing expectations.

At the time of his selection, Primeau was already committed to Northeastern University. The college hockey route is not the worst path for goaltenders who tend to need a longer period of developmental time. The decision was a good one for the kid, and in two seasons he had goals against averages that hovered around two, and save percentages above .930.

It looked like the Habs may have struck gold with that seventh round pick.

A shift in Montreal

On July 2, 2017, the Canadiens signed Carey Price to an eight year contract worth $84M that would kick in for the 2018-19 season. Veteran Antti Niemi was under contract for the last year of the previous Price contract and the first year of the new one. Both Niemi contracts were less than a million dollars, which is exactly the price they wanted to pay for their back-up.

In the meanwhile, Charlie Lindgren was developing in the Habs system, splitting both of those seasons between Montreal and Laval.

With Carey Price’s new contract, it became very clear that frugality in the back-up position would be prioritized. It also became clear that GM Marc Bergevin didn’t see Lindgren as a suitable plan to back-up Carey, as was evidenced by the ill-fated signing of Keith Kincaid. With Carey’s health in decline, Bergevin eventually had to add a netminder who could platoon and that’s how Jake Allen came to town.

An unforced error

On March 31, 2019, Bergevin signed Primeau to his entry level contract, a solid two years earlier than was necessary. He could have enjoyed another year or two of free developmental years before graduating him to Laval. But Bergevin saw an entry-level contract who could back-up Price, and probably eventually platoon with him before replacing him. It might have worked if Carey’s knee had held.

Now we find ourselves in the preseason for the 2023-24 season and Primeau has already split four seasons between Montreal and Laval. The list of folks who think the kid is ready for NHL play is small indeed, but he’s been around long enough that he’s waiver eligible.

The sticky part is that Primeau has shown flashes of what Bergevin imagined he could be, so the decision to waive him isn’t a simple one. It would be uncomfortable to watch him find his full potential in another NHL city.

Kent Hughes should pay attention

Under Bergevin, the Canadiens were fairly frugal about goalie spending at the draft. They did use a second rounder on Zach Fucale, but beyond that they were counting on late picks or free agents to fill the space behind Carey Price. HuGo inherited an injured Carey Price, an aging Jake Allen, and a lot of question marks after that. They sought to remedy an empty cupboard this past draft when they used third, fourth and fifth rounders on goalies.

Since the draft we have come to understand that the drafting crew were pretty high on their third round choice, Jacob Fowler. It wasn’t hard to see why from the behind the scenes footage the Canadiens released.

Fowler is committed to Boston College for the 2023-24 season, and once again the Habs have an opportunity for a long period of goaltending development in a good system before they sign Fowler. As much as they like him, he is not likely to be a real factor in Montreal for several years – they will need placeholders in net. Whether Montembeault, Primeau, or another guy acquired by trade or free agency, the Habs have some placeholding years before they should be calling upon Fowler.

The lesson for Hughes

Here is the message for Kent Hughes – don’t waste those free years of college hockey development time. If you like your guy, make sure you’re not at risk of losing him to waivers in a few years because you tried to rush him along to fit another window.

Fowler is a different kid than Primeau, with a different temperament. He may be ready for the bright lights of Montreal in less time than his predecessor needed. That’s a chance you might not want to take with a prospect you like.