Kaiden Guhle Will Travel With The Canadiens

For a while now, Kaiden Guhle has been skating; on Saturday, he joined his teammates at practice in a non-contact jersey a couple of days ago, and on Monday morning, he wore a regular jersey. This is a sign of progress, and often the last step before a player is ready to return to action. After practice, the team announced he would be on their four-game road trip.

In his post-trade deadline press conference, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said that if the Habs weren’t in a race for the playoffs, Guhle wouldn’t return this season, but they are right in it, holding the second wildcard spot with only 13 games to go.

Boston College and Jacob Fowler Set To Take on Bentley
Demidov And SKA St. Petersburg's First Round Opponent Revealed
Former Canadiens Defenseman Needs To Play Better

It's easy to understand that Guhle must be raring to go; after all, he’s never lived a race to the playoffs in the NHL and must crave the opportunity to impact the team’s destiny. When healthy, he makes a difference at the blueline, playing over 21 minutes a night. In 44 contests this season, he has put up four goals and 10 assists for 14 points and blocked 100 shots.

When he fell to injury, the team struggled and was on an awful sequence when the league paused its activities for the 4 Nations Face-Off. They lost five or the first six games without him. After the break, thanks to captain Nick Suzuki and first mate Cole Caufield, the Habs were able to right the ship and go on a winning streak, which got them where they are today.

There is no question that Guhle’s return would boost the Canadiens and upgrade their defense, but who should come out of the lineup when he’s ready to go? At practice Monday morning, Martin St-Louis was seen chatting with Jayden Struble as he was stretching. Could he be the odd man out?

The current pairings of Mike Matheson-Alexandre Carrier and Struble-Lane Hutson work very well, leaving us with the bottom pairing of Arber Xhekaj and David Savard. In the game against the Colorado Avalanche, they struggled to keep up with the Avs’ dangerous attack; it was all going a bit too fast for them.

Matheson, Carrier, and Hutson are off-limits. Unless the injury ninja hits, they will play the team’s remaining 13 games. Given how well Struble and Hutson have played together lately, I would also keep him in the lineup. I feel the Canadiens need the grit and the “fear factor” Xhekaj can brings, especially with the kind of hockey being played now, so I believe Savard should be the one to sit.

He has slowed down this year and is on an expiring deal. If Kent Hughes wants to see what his defense corps could look like with the veteran if he doesn’t extend him this Summer, this is the perfect opportunity. I’m not necessarily saying sit him for the remainder of the season, but for now, it would be the most logical move.

Will St-Louis dare to sit the veteran? I’m unsure, but it will be a story to follow. The coach refuses to discuss the puzzle he will face when Guhle is ready to return. In his post-practice media opportunity Monday morning, he explained there was no point worrying about it now since something could throw a spanner in the works, and the decision could be made for him. 

The Canadiens will take on the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night before playing in a back-to-back against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and Friday.

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.

Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.