Cayden Primeau's run with Canadiens organization appears to be over
Cayden Primeau can take credit for helping the Laval Rocket finish first overall in the AHL this season.
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But as Primeau heads into an uncertain summer, the Rocket goaltender must accept his share of the blame for being unable to help the Rocket get past the Charlotte Checkers in the recent Eastern Conference final.
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'It was a tough ending. You never want to go out without winning, but we can be really proud of what we accomplished this year,' Primeau said during the team's recent end-of-season media availability after being swept by Charlotte. 'You have to give it to (Charlotte); they're a great team. There's only one winner at the end of the day. There's a lot of unhappy teams. It takes a lot to get to where we did. We can be proud of that.'
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Primeau, 25, was 21-2-2 this season with Laval. His goals-against average was a scintillating 1.96. His save percentage was .927 and he had two shutouts — one in his second game after clearing waivers and being loaned to the Rocket on Dec. 29 after struggling again with the Canadiens.
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Selected in the seventh round (199th overall) in 2017, Primeau was 2-3-1 with Montreal this season over 11 games with a 4.70 GAA and .836 save percentage. In what might have been his final appearance on Dec. 12, he allowed three goals on seven shots in relief of Samuel Montembeault during a 9-2 Bell Centre loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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'To say I was playing my best hockey (with Montreal), I'd be lying,' Primeau said. 'The team at the beginning of the year — I think everyone knows it — wasn't the team that was playing in the playoffs. Coming to Laval … you don't have many bad days. You want to be in the NHL, but when you're in Laval, it's a great opportunity.'
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Primeau was recalled by the Canadiens on April 27 — but never played — after Montembeault suffered a lower-body injury in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series against Washington. Primeau backed up Jakub Dobes the next two games before Montreal was eliminated, then returned for Laval's post-season run.
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But Primeau was inconsistent in the playoffs for the Rocket, with a 3.27 average and .878 save percentage over eight games. While he shut out Rochester in the deciding game of the North Division final, he was exposed by Charlotte, allowing 12 goals over portions of three games.
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Primeau was removed in the second period of both the second and third games after allowing four goals in each contest. Laval head coach Pascal Vincent then started Jacob Fowler in Game 4, a 3-2 loss.
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'To start, it's not an easy league,' Primeau said. 'It's a grind. It was an emotional series before, going to Game 5 against a good (Rochester) team. A lot of guys gave everything they had in that series and into that fifth game. I don't think I handled it well in terms of (preparing for Charlotte). Going into that series and falling down early, we were chasing the series from the get-go. I think that was the biggest thing.'
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