The Montreal Canadiens reassigned Cayden Primeau to their AHL affiliate in Laval on Saturday afternoon.
Les Canadiens ont cédé le gardien Cayden Primeau au Rocket de Laval et ont rappelé le gardien Andrew Hammond.
The Canadiens assigned goaltender Cayden Primeau to the Laval Rocket and recalled goaltender Andrew Hammond. pic.twitter.com/yTGcgKTIkC
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 12, 2022
Montreal made a move earlier in the day to acquire Andrew Hammond with this specific reassignment in mind. Primeau had been forced up to the NHL team by injuries to Carey Price and Jake Allen, but he and Samuel Montembeault struggled to make saves as an unexpected tandem.
Primeau appeared in 11 games, but only played the full 60 minutes four times, either coming on in relief or getting pulled himself after surrendering a handful of goals. It was clear he wasn’t ready to take on the job at the NHL level, so he was returned to a lower level of competition before his confidence was destroyed completely.
He has played 16 games in Laval, with a much better 8-6-1 record and a .912 save percentage, compared to just one win and an .866 mark with te Habs. Rather that flounder on a team that seems destined to finish last in the top league, he will be a big part of the Rocket’s run to the AHL post-season, and perhaps be instrumental in a deep playoff run for the club.
