Laval | Cayden Primeau had all the holiday time to digest his demotion to the Laval Rocket, so he wasn’t acting like a fool when he arrived.
The Canadian announced on December 27 that the 25-year-old goalkeeper was on waivers, even though Martin St-Louis had announced the news the day before. However, it was on December 23, after the game in Columbus, that general manager Kent Hughes called Primeau to inform him that he was demoted.
“I had a long break, so getting back on the ice was a little difficult, but it feels good to be back and see the guys again. Things went well here in the first of the season, so I will try to contribute for the second half,” said the American goalkeeper after training Thursday noon.
“It’s hard to hear,” Primeau admitted of Hughes’ call, “but it’s not the end of the world. Here, I won’t be given matches, I’ll have to earn them. I haven’t played much in two years, so being able to be back here and having fun playing is the most important thing.
Question of trust
At the time of writing, Pascal Vincent had not yet confirmed to Primeau that he would be the starter Friday night against the Abbotsford Canucks, but that is the plan he has in mind.
“In his case, a bit like goal scorers, it’s the confidence that he needs,” Vincent said. He needs to play hockey, to feel good in training, to have fun playing hockey.
But Primeau believes that it is mainly playing time that he needs, now that his confidence has not wavered.
“Nothing replaces a match,” he insisted. You can practice as much as you want, but the speed of a game is different. But I don’t think I’ve lost confidence.
-“Maybe I was afraid of making mistakes. In fact, “fear” may not be the right word. It’s more that I didn’t want to make mistakes. There is a fine line between losing confidence and not wanting to make mistakes.”
“When you play, when you win or when you have a good performance, I think it’s all linked together,” says Pascal Vincent. Good if he hasn’t lost confidence, but I think it’s a great opportunity for him to get back in the net and compete.”
He suspected it
In 11 games with the Canadiens, including 7 starts, Primeau has a 2-3-1 record and is among the worst goalies in the NHL, with a goals against average of 4.70 and an efficiency rating of .836 .
Let’s say he suspected that the Canadian was going to offer him a stay in Laval in the more or less near future, and it became even more obvious when, a few days before Christmas, Samuel Montembeault was put in front of the net for both games of a home-and-home series against the Detroit Red Wings.
“Sam is playing very well, the team is playing very well at the moment. I would say for the last month and a half, the team has been playing really well, and things are clicking for everyone, so I thought they would go in that direction.”
By joining a locker room where he knows many players, Primeau will be able to feel at home and get the minutes he needs, whose progress has sometimes been slowed down by the pandemic, sometimes by the menage a trois of which he was a part. during his first full NHL season. In Laval, he also finds goalkeeper coach Marco Marciano, whom he knows well.
“Marco and I have an excellent relationship,” says Primeau. He always talks about the importance of surrounding yourself with positive energy, no matter how you’re feeling. Being able to learn alongside a guy like that for four years helped me enormously.”
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