The Canadiens Have Yet to Extend Kaiden Guhle, but They Should

When Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovský signed an eight-year extension on Monday, he was not the only eligible blooming player for the Habs.

Kaiden Guhle, the 22-year-old, left-shot defenceman is eligible to receive a contract extension this summer. It would appear, however, that negotiations have stalled, and could be worked out later on in the summer. As Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reported on Monday.

Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes responded to Engels’ inquiry of the Edmonton-born defenceman, saying “It’s not all about getting it done fast. It’s more about getting it settled the right way. Discussions perhaps didn’t start at the same rhythm as those with Slaf[kovský], but we’ll see if we can get a contract done this summer. If we can't, we'll wait like we did with Cole [Caufield] and we have until September next year to get something done.”

It’s clear that the Canadiens would like to extend Guhle this summer, but the negotiations have not been as rapid as Slafkovský. This may be because the right price is hard to pin down with Guhle. This is because the Canadiens were ambitious with Slafkovský, signing him to a contract that would pay the blossoming Slovakian $7.6 million over the next eight years. The ambitious element is that Slafkovský has played in just 121 games in his first two seasons. Yet, it was his sophomore year wherein the six-foot-three, 230 pound forward contributed 20 goals and 30 assists on-top of playing in all 82 regular season games.

Guhle is in a similar position. He has played at the professional level for two years, and has only appeared in 114 games for the Canadiens. He tallied six goals and 22 points in 70 regular season games during the 2023-24 season, all while averaging roughly 20 minutes of ice time per game. His ability to move the puck and contain offensive-zone pressure are key factors in his game.

The Canadiens have shown that they care more about developing their young players more than bringing in big names for short periods of time. Hughes has said as much in his press conference with the media on Monday. Guhle fits into that competitive window, meaning that Hughes is being truthful when saying the blue-liner should be extended this summer, if not, September of next year.