When the Toronto Maple Leafs placed Cayden Primeau on waivers on Friday afternoon, it felt like there was only one possible way it could end. On Saturday afternoon, no one was surprised when the Carolina Hurricanes reclaimed the netminder. It adds another wrinkle to an already interesting situation in the net for the Canes.
Primeau, whom the Hurricanes acquired in the offseason from the Montreal Canadiens, played well in the preseason, but the Canes had to send him through waivers to get him to AHL Chicago. Anticipating that Primeau would be claimed, the Canes brought in Brandon Bussi the same day. Toronto snagged Primeau, bringing him into the fold with Joseph Woll not ready to start the season.
While the situation produced similar results for Carolina and Toronto in the standings, the numbers for Primeau and Bussi are drastically different through the first month. Primeau began the season as Anthony Stolarz's backup, starting three games. While he won two of his starts, Primeau allowed at least three goals in each, including six to Columbus in his most recent.
Meanwhile, Bussi has been one of Carolina's most surprising stories to begin the season. He debuted on the team's road trip, picking up wins in San Jose and Los Angeles before falling in Dallas. Bussi made his first appearance on home ice against the Islanders, but hasn't played since, with Pyotr Kochetkov returning. He owns a .916 save percentage and a 2.25 GAA in his first four NHL starts.
What does this move mean for the Hurricanes?
There was uncertainty online about whether the Hurricanes could send Primeau directly to the AHL. When the team announced the move through their official social media pages, they clarified that Primeau was being assigned to Chicago, which was the optimal result. Insider Elliotte Friedman provided further clarification on the situation shortly after.
Cayden Primeau assigned to AHL Chicago as Hurricanes were only claim, and they were team Maple Leafs took him from
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 8, 2025
Having Primeau in Chicago is a major boost for the Wolves. Both Amir Miftakhov and Nikita Quapp have save percentages south of .880 and GAAs over 3.20. As part of the best goalie duo in the AHL last season with Laval, Primeau brings stability in the net, which is currently the Wolves' biggest position of weakness.
With the Canes already carrying three goalies on the NHL roster, I don't think they'd make this move if they weren't confident they could get Primeau to the AHL. With as well as Bussi has played in limited action, the Hurricanes don't appear willing to risk losing him to waivers. Now, they don't have to cross that bridge just yet. Their organizational depth just got deeper.
It's hard not to look at this situation and view this as a massive win for the Canes. They proactively added Brandon Bussi before the season began, knowing they were losing Cayden Primeau when they tried to send him to the AHL. A month later, the Canes have lucked into a third quality NHL goalie and got their AHL goalie, as they'd originally intended. Sometimes, patience really is a virtue.