The Montreal Canadiens kicked off the 2026-27 NHL regular season with an exciting 3-2 victory over the divisional rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday evening, gaining the upper hand early on in their season series.
The Canadiens are set with the goaltending combination of Jakub Dobes, who was re-signed to a multi-year contract extension, and Sam Montembeault, who is entering the final year of his contract.
One former Canadiens player who was once viewed as a potential long-term solution has since moved on to two different teams, including the Maple Leafs, but was just placed on waivers and is now available to the rest of the NHL.
Former Montreal Canadiens Goaltender Cayden Primeau
Former Canadiens goaltender Cayden Primeau, who is now with the Carolina Hurricanes organization, was placed on waivers and is up for grabs over the next 24 hours, or he’ll be relegated to the American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Primeau was taken Montreal in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Draft and signed with the Canadiens after two seasons playing college hockey at Northeastern. He made his NHL debut in December 2019 and eventually became Montreal’s backup in 2023-24, posting an 8-9-4 record with a .910 save percentage.
After struggling early in 2024-25, Primeau was waived and returned to the AHL affiliate Lava Rocket, where his game improved. He went 21-2-2 with a 1.73 goals-against average and .932 save percentage, earning AHL Goaltender of the Month honors in January and helping the Rocket win the regular-season title.
Montreal traded Primeau to Carolina in June 2025, but he never appeared in a game for the Hurricanes. Toronto claimed him off waivers in October, and after three appearances with the Maple Leafs, he was waived again and reclaimed by Carolina.
Last year with the Wolves, he went 21-11-7 with a .916 save percentage and four shutouts.
The Canadiens Re-Signed Goaltender Jakub Dobes To A Three-Year Deal
Now, Dobes is the Canadiens’ starting goaltender after earning enough trust from the organization to receive a three-year contract worth $5,357,575 annually.
Meanwhile, Montembeault is entering the final year of his contract, and the prevailing thought is that he could at some point be moving on from the club.
Former Canadiens Goalie Gets Bad News From Current Club