Cayden Primeau’s 2025-26 season was anything but ordinary, and now the Hurricanes goalie is heading into 2026-27 with a clearer sense of where he stands and what comes next.
Primeau spent last year bouncing through a stretch that started with Carolina, veered to Toronto, and then brought him back to the Hurricanes organization. After finishing training camp with the Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs claimed him off waivers. A few weeks later, Carolina reclaimed him, and he eventually closed the season with the Chicago Wolves, helping push them all the way to the Calder Cup Final.
The numbers he put up after that reset were strong: a 21-11-7 record, a 2.41 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and four shutouts in 39 games. But for Primeau, the bigger challenge was mental - staying grounded while everything around him kept changing.
“That was exactly it, just trying to take it day by day. The beginning of the year was a little bit of a whirlwind, you know, because I had come here [Raleigh] and it was all fresh.
It was my first time here as well, so meeting new people, being in a new environment, and then going to Toronto, same thing. Same thing in Chicago, but at least I had some familiarity with the players and the staff, so that made the transition there really easy.”
“And then, obviously, yeah, being able to go deep was special. And I think we have, you know, a lot of great guys coming back, and hopefully, the good additions that can get us over the hump, and we’ll come out on top this year,” he concluded.
That mindset carried him through a season that ended with a run to the Calder Cup Final, and it also helped set up his return. Primeau entered the summer as a restricted free agent, received a qualifying offer, and then on Sept. 9 agreed to a two-year, $1.83 million extension that keeps him with the organization through the 2027-28 season.
The Hurricanes clearly value him, too. Earlier in June, general manager Eric Tulsky said, “He’s a very good goalie who’s also capable of playing NHL games if we need him to.”
Primeau said the decision to stay was straightforward.
“I mean… it’s not often that the NHL club wins the Stanley Cup, and then the AHL affiliate makes it to the [Calder Cup] finals. So it just shows the depth in the organization, and I mean, ever since I got here last year, I wanted to be here.
It’s a great environment, great culture. Guys are great, and everyone’s pushing to be the best version of themselves, whether that’s here or in Chicago.
You know, it all rang true.”
He’s expected to sit behind Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov on the depth chart, but his presence gives the organization another proven option.
The goalie room in Chicago should be especially interesting this season. Primeau is set to share that space with Ruslan Khazheyev, his tandem partner from last year, and veteran Zach Sawchnko, who played with the Wolves in 2022-23. That could turn into a real three-man battle in net.
“Yeah, it’s huge. I’ve been fortunate to have some great goalie partners throughout my career, so adding to the arsenal of some great goalies.
But yeah, to have Sawzy come back, he’s familiar with the organization, familiar with Chicago, so that’s huge, that experience. But we’re all pushing each other.
We all want the job at the end of the day. So it’s a good, friendly competition.”
Primeau said the right approach now is to wipe the slate clean and treat 2026-27 as its own season.
“Every year is a new year. It doesn’t matter where you were, if you were at the top or at the bottom; you know the end goal is to be the last team standing. So that’s the goal every year.
And like I said, both teams, obviously the NHL, everyone’s back for the most part. And then same thing in Chicago, you know, the depth that I mentioned and the prospects.
Everyone that had come back has come back. Yeah, it’s exciting, but as you said, you just gotta put it behind you.
It’s a new year.”
For Primeau, that’s the thread running through everything: keep it simple, stay ready, and control what he can control. If the Hurricanes need him in Raleigh, he’s there. If the Wolves need him to help anchor another run, he’s ready for that too.
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For Carolina, the eye test matters as much as the box score in these games, especially with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Bradly Nadeau, Juha Jaaska and Juuso Valimaki among the names worth tracking. It also puts a spotlight on just how much the younger group can handle against a tougher opponent right away, with the Panthers set to provide a far more demanding first look than most preseason openers usually offer. [Read more 🡒]