Leafs Goalie Cayden Primeau Had Some Special Visitors in Attendance For Dramatic Win Over Buffalo

It's been a rocky road for goaltender Cayden Primeau over the last calendar year after he lost out on the backup position in Montreal, and was then traded and eventually waived by the Carolina Hurricanes before being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs before the start of the 2025-26 season.

With Joseph Woll having been sidelined for the start of the season due to a leave of absence to attend to an unspecified family matter and the Leafs needing goalie depth as soon as possible, they took a chance on Primeau, and he's done relatively well in his 2 starts.

Anthony Stolarz has understandably taken on a much heavier workload thus far, but in his 2 starts, Primeau has posted a 2-0-0 record with a .875 SV% and 3.50 GAA. While not the most inviting numbers, he did play a big part in a gutsy overtime victory last night against Buffalo.

While NHL starts are few and far in between for the 26-year-old, he did have some very special and important visitors in attendance last night, including his father, NHL legend Keith Primeau.

Keith was a 15-year NHL veteran who spent 6 years in both Detroit and Philadelphia, as well as 3 seasons with Carolina/Hartford. The Toronto native scored 266 goals and 619 points across 909 games after having been selected with the 3rd overall pick back in 1990.

With Woll having returned to practice, it does seem like Primeau's days are numbered with the NHL club, but for the time being, he will be soaking in as much experience as he can get. A win like that does a lot for your confidence, but to do it in front of your family makes it that much more special, which Primeau alluded to after the game.

The Maple Leafs are off for a few days before they embark on a back-to-back set starting on Tuesday for a home tilt against Calgary. They will then head out on the road to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

Expect Primeau to get into one of those games with the rested Anthony Stolarz receiving the other. Through 2 games, the Leafs have received 2 victories and steady goaltending from their backup, and that's all they can ask for at this stage of the season.