The Montreal Canadiens’ three-man front line since the start of the season has attracted a lot of attention.
Having three goalies at the top of the NHL with the big club is far from ideal, on the contrary.
The decision to keep three goalies in Montreal was made by management because they didn’t want to lose Cayden Primeau to the waivers for nothing.
Management was too afraid that the 24-year-old goaltender would be in demand and have success elsewhere, so they decided to make room for him on the 23-man roster in Montreal.
Well, since that decision, there’s been no movement on that front, even though we were all pretty much expecting something to happen soon.
One of the main reasons why nothing has changed yet is that the CH’s three goalies are all doing quite well.
Cayden Primeau is even more solid than one might have imagined.
In fact, he’s getting better all the time, and had his best game of the season yesterday in the CH’s 3-2 win over the Sharks.
He held the fort when the mighty Sharks threatened.
Cayden Primeau holds the fort for the Habs on the PK. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/uP4Vekmihi
– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 24, 2023
(OBOXADSQ || []).push({“cmd”: “addBanner”});
In short, Primeau was solid, turning aside 31 of 33 shots on his way to his best game of the season, and also his best game of his career.
The Tricolore’s No. 30 is therefore brimming with confidence.
Can we just talk about Cayden Primeau & how confident he looks right now? pic.twitter.com/NYVFpv4RO7
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 25, 2023
He doesn’t play like a third goalie.
He always seems more than ready when he gets a start in front of the net, which is pretty impressive for a guy who’s seen very little action so far this season.
Yesterday was only his fourth game of the season.
Of course, it was against the NHL’s worst team, the San Jose Sharks, but it’s this kind of performance that keeps Primeau in the NHL and keeps the three-way tie alive.
In four games, the 24-year-old American goaltender has shown enough to keep him in the NHL and out of the waivers.
Primeau is the youngest of the Tricolore’s three goalies right now, and the one who costs the least.
As I have always said, I am not putting C.Primeau on waivers to go back to two goalies. Nor, am I giving him away in a trade, to go back to two goalies. Habs are still rebuilding. Primeau is the youngest of the 3, lowest cap hit of the 3 and nowhere near his prime. Primeau stays!
– Tony Marinaro (@TonyMarinaro) November 24, 2023
(OBOXADSQ || []).push({“cmd”: “addBanner”});
In short, Primeau is doing exactly what he needs to be doing right now: seizing every available opportunity.
It’s great to see him seize them, something he’s had trouble doing in the past.
Primeau is quietly proving that the CH made the right decision to keep him in Montreal, even if it put the team in a very delicate situation.
In my opinion, Jake Allen should be at the bottom of the three-goal hierarchy right now.
At the top, it’s Samuel Montembeault, who’s surely the least stressed of the gang.
At least, he doesn’t look stressed when he takes the time to play Rock-Paper-Scissors with the Sharks’ mascot.
Samuel Montembeault having fun with Sharkie! ✌ pic.twitter.com/Kmlm70oQZy
– RDS (@RDSca) November 24, 2023
A deal involving one of the three goalies could still happen, but it may not be imminent, at least not with the Edmonton Oilers.
It will be interesting to see whether the Quebecer will be the starter this afternoon against the Sharks, or whether Jake Allen will be in front of the net.
The CH will be looking for a third straight win, after beating Anaheim and San Jose back-to-back for the first time since 1998.
The Canadiens went out west and beat both Anaheim and San Jose for the first time this millennium. The last time they achieved that was in November of 1998. Now if they could just beat Minnesota….
– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) November 25, 2023
In a gust
– The Habs have a very young lineup.
Montreal iced a team last night with an average age of 25.4. Here were the average ages of NHL rosters going into the season. Encouraging to see the youngest team in the league go out west and do something no other Canadiens club has done in 25 years sweeping ANA and SJ. pic.twitter.com/TvLItIBnsb
– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) November 25, 2023
– Read more.
Canadiens’ rebuild is on track, but fans must be patient | HI/O Bonus https://t.co/EQUtRg64ON pic.twitter.com/P2R7Jdu3iO
– Hockey Inside/Out (@HabsIO) November 25, 2023
– To be continued by the Penguins.
It was ugly on the inside last night.
Penguins Aftermath: Playoff Standings, Who Will Help Crosby? https://t.co/OHD5m4IP0n
– Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) November 25, 2023
– A great moment for Rick Bowness in his first game back behind the Jets bench. He had left the team for a period of time to join his wife, Judy, who was ill.
Rick and Judy, we love ya pic.twitter.com/6tOKzvSUyP
– Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 25, 2023
– Stay tuned today.
It’s time for the final Qualifying session of the 2023 season with one last pole position up for grabs at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Tune in LIVE to TSN 1/5 and TSN + for additional camera options for all the action! #F1 #AbuDhabiGP
– TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 25, 2023