The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting a new look in between the pipes when they host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. Cayden Primeau is going to get his first start in the Blue and White, according to head coach Craig Berube.
It was unclear as the Leafs continued through morning skate, but it was later confirmed by Berube that the newest member of the team is going to be getting a look on this second half of a back-to-back at Scotiabank Arena.
Cayden Primeau makes his Maple Leafs debut tonight vs. Predators, Berube confirms.
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Primeau was claimed off waivers by the Maple Leafs during the preseason and has been the backup for Anthony Stolarz ever since. With Joseph Woll's indefinite leave of absence, the Leafs needed some support and the brief try-out of James Reimer was seen as a worse option than just taking a chance on the 26-year-old Primeau.
The Farmington Hills, Michigan native and son of Keith Primeau, has had an interesting few years. In the 55 games he has played in the NHL, Primeau owns a terrible .884 save percentage and 3.77 goals against average. That's not great. But counterbalance that with a career save percentage down in the AHL of .912 and most recently putting up a .927 save percentage and 1.96 goals against average in 26 games for the Laval Rocket last season, and there's some signs of life.
Primeau's most successful NHL stint was during the 2023-24 season with the Montreal Canadiens, where he had a .910 save percentage in 23 games -- another sign of life and of something more than just a tweener netminder.
Instead of banking on a veteran sustaining some success as a backup, the Leafs are betting on the younger Primeau trying to find his footing. Most netminders don't even hit their peak until their late-20s, so they could just be the benefactor to Primeau being able to get to that level of play as a waiver-wire pickup.
Primeau will be tested on Tuesday night. The Nashville Predators did have a horrible season last year, but has bounced back to start their season with a 2-0-1 start and most recently beat the Ottawa Senators by a score of 4-1 on Monday night.
There might be some sloppy hockey with two teams having played just last night, and Primeau will need to shut the door to stave off some early-season panic from Leafs Nation.