Three goalies and three trade proposals

October 26, 2023

The Montreal Canadiens are into their third week of the season and already have six games under their belts. They’ve been carrying three goaltenders on their roster to avoid placing one on waivers, but that approach limits the number of position players they can carry. With the Habs already in a little injury trouble, the approach is not ideal, but the strategy is also not wise for the long term as the coach tries to juggle playing time for three goalies.

Something will eventually have to give. An argument can be made for moving any of the three netminders, and here is a proposal for each of them.

Cayden Primeau

Cayden Primeau is the most likely option to be dealt. He was a draft pick and signing of the previous regime, and has not yet solidified his place in the organization. His waiver eligibility and trade interest from another team has prevented the Habs from sending him to Laval for another year of development. The fact that he wasn’t traded to that interested team suggests one of two things – Kent Hughes didn’t like the offer, or he’d prefer not to give up on Primeau just yet.

My suspicion is that Hughes was hoping for more movement on the goalie front and that he could eventually sneak Primeau through waivers. The young netminder’s performance on Tuesday night might make flying under the radar a challenge, and there has been little settled across the league on the goalie front. The Habs may be forced to deal Primeau.

The Philadelphia Flyers are in the last year of Carter Hart’s contract, and they will either have to pay him a bucket load of cash or replace him. They have Samuel Ersson in development, but he could use seasoning time in the AHL. The Flyers are also having a tough time finding ice for young forward Morgan Frost, who has not landed at the NHL level in the way they had hoped. Hughes loves a young project with upside.

Jake Allen

While Primeau seems the most likely trade candidate, Jake Allen has had a start to the season that would make him appealing to teams needing a solid tandem guy. On The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro earlier this week, Craig Button had an interesting idea. He suggested the Buffalo Sabres should pursue Allen to allow Devon Levi time to develop in the AHL. He noted the Sabres are flush with young assets they could make available in the deal. Would a big centre developing in Sweden be enough to entice Hughes?

Samuel Montembeault

After seemingly claiming the starter’s role last season, Samuel Montembeault has not looked quite as shiny in these early games, particularly with Allen playing well. Hughes has indicated that Monty isn’t going anywhere, but here we are in a contract year with no signs of an extension in sight.

The team that could really use Montembeault, in my view, is the Tampa Bay Lightning. They need a goalie who can fill the starter’s role in the short term, and then play tandem with Andrei Vasilevskiy. Monty can deliver on that while on a very reasonable contract. Would a power forward prospect be enough to get it done?

The more likely outcome here is that Kent Hughes finds a trade for Cayden Primeau, or holds out until he believes he can sneak him through waivers. But we’ve seen Hughes be incredibly creative, and it’s fun to consider what that could look like.