Habs sign RFA Cayden Primeau to 3-year contract

The Montreal Canadiens signed restricted free-agent goaltender Cayden Primeau to a three-year, one-way pact Thursday with an average annual value of $890,000.

Primeau, 23, was the last RFA remaining on the Habs' books. He will remain an RFA once his new pact expires.

The Michigan native appeared in 12 contests for the struggling Canadiens in 2021-22, posting a 1-7-1 record alongside a 4.62 goals against average and .868 save percentage.

Primeau spent the majority of the season with the AHL's Laval Rocket, where he put up a 16-12-3 record and a .909 clip in 33 outings. He went on to author a sterling .936 save percentage in 14 playoff games to help the Rocket make the AHL's Eastern Conference Final.

With Carey Price largely expected to miss the 2022-23 campaign, Montreal will now be relying on Jake Allen, Samuel Montembeault, and Primeau to tend the crease.

The Canadiens selected him in the seventh round of the 2017 draft. Primeau owns a career 4.21 goals against average and .874 save percentage in 18 showings across three NHL seasons.