Hurricanes sign Cayden Primeau to one-year, $775,000 contract

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed Cayden Primeau to a one-year, $775,000 contract.

Primeau was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his three-year contract with an $890,000 cap hit. He sees a $115,000 decline in his salary from 2024-25.

There’s currently no word on if the deal comes with any bonuses or clauses.

He was acquired by the Hurricanes on Monday from the Montreal Canadiens in return for a 2026 seventh round pick. The Canes dealt for him in hopes of getting a little bit more depth in between the pipes beyond Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, and one with a bit more future upside than Spencer Martin while also still having some NHL experience.

After six NHL seasons, Primeau continues to struggle to establish himself as a full-time NHLer, splitting time between the NHL and the AHL in 2024-25. With the Canadiens, Primeau played 11 games with a 2-3-1 record, an .836 save percentage, -10.53 5v5 goals saved above expected. Not only was his performance a step down from his previous season, it also saw him play 12 fewer games at the NHL.

In the AHL, Primeau played much better, with a 21-2-2 record, a .927 SV%, and two shutouts in 26 games with the Canadiens’ minor league affiliate, the Laval Rocket. He also had a 3-4-0 record, an .878 SV% and one shutout in eight playoff games.

The Hurricanes have been busy so far this summer, retaining Taylor Hall, Frederik Andersen and Eric Robinson, and signing Logan Stankoven to an extension. However, their biggest move was acquiring K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers in exchange for prospect Scott Morrow, a first round pick, and a second round pick. They currently have just over $19 million in cap space, with five other RFAs to sign, although none on their NHL roster.