The Montreal Canadiens don't have a terrible record since the start of the season, but defensively speaking, their numbers are Halloween worthy material.
The Montreal Canadiens don't have a terrible record since the start of the season, but defensively speaking, their numbers are Halloween worthy material.
The Montreal Canadiens have a young defense corps—that's nothing new—but somehow, it seems fans are forgetting that simple fact. The front office might have created premature expectations by talking about "being in the mix" so much at the start of the season.
There's a lot of impatience in town right now. You hear it on radio and TV, read it on social media, and can also feel it at the Bell Centre. For some, it's normal that patience is starting to wear thin because the point of a rebuild is to improve eventually, and they feel it's not happening fast enough.
Unfortunately for the less patient fans, the Canadiens have struggled out of the gate, and an injury to a key member of the team's blueline hasn't helped at all. Last Summer, Kent Hughes signed defenseman Kaiden Guhle to a six-year contract extension worth $5.55 M per season, and there's a reason he did that.
Hughes knows how important he is to his rebuild blueprint, and so does coach Martin St-Louis. Yesterday, in his post-morning skate availability, the bench boss called Guhle "a monster," a player who plays a lot of minutes for his team. Since the start of the season, though, Guhle has only played in six of the team's 11 games.
There's a reason this team is surrendering so many shots, and it's not all about issues understanding the defensive system. Montreal is in 28th place when it comes to shots against per game, with 32.6. It might not be that much of an issue if the Habs were getting consistent goaltending, but so far, Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau are struggling.
Guhle's absence has a direct impact on the number of shots given, as he took over from David Savard last season as the resident shot blocker. While Mike Matheson and Savard are currently leading the team in blocked shots with 33 and 31, respectively, they played 10 games to reach those numbers. Meanwhile, Guhle, who sits third with 23 blocks, has only featured in six of the games. His return to the lineup should, therefore, help in that department.
The Canadiens are also dead last in goals-against average with 4.18, having surrendered 47 goals in 11 games. This is just too much. Getting Guhle back in front of the net to clean up the crease should undoubtedly make a difference.
For now, and until the rest of the defensive corps gets some much-needed reps and experience, fans should expect an alternate system. This will allow the young blueliners to gain experience and familiarize themselves with St. Louis' hybrid defensive system. Jayden Struble, Justin Barron, and Arber Xhekaj will be rotating in and out of the lineup, and it's normal.
Lane Hutson is a bit of a diamond in the rough and so young that he needs to see a lot of action to develop best. If he hits a wall during the season and looks a bit battle-worn, don't be surprised if he becomes part of the rotation at times.
At least the Canadiens aren't the only ones suffering from goaltending inconsistency; it's also happening in Pittsburgh, where they'll take on Sidney Crosby and the Penguins on Saturday,
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