The Montreal Canadiens announced a key piece of business on Friday morning. They locked up veteran defenceman Mike Matheson for five more years at $6 million annually. Montreal’s top-four defence core of Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle, and Matheson are now all locked up long term. However, the team is allocating approximately $30 million to these four. Guhle is making $5.5 million a year, while Hutson and Dobson are the highest-paid players on the team at $8.8M and $9.5M annually, respectively.
Montreal Canadiens Defenceman Kaiden Guhle
Despite the cap being on the rise, the Canadiens could use some of that space to pursue a top-six forward. A second-line centre has been the Canadiens biggest need for some time now. With Matheson locked up, could we see Guhle involved in a trade for help down the middle? His injury history has sparked some concern, but he still holds tremendous value on the trade market. Where does Kaiden Guhle fit into Montreal’s future plans, and is he now expendable for the Canadiens?
Montreal Canadiens Depth Charts on Defence
With Matheson’s contract set to expire, it appeared as though Guhle would be taking his place as the team’s top shutdown defenceman. However, now that the veteran is around for the next half-decade, Guhle finds himself behind him in the depth chart. Hutson, Dobson, and Matheson are all ahead of Guhle and will receive more minutes moving forward. Furthermore, the Canadiens have an abundance of young defencemen on the rise.
Former fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher is progressing well in Laval and will soon arrive in Montreal. Adam Engstrom recently made his Canadiens debut and didn’t look out of place at the NHL level. Montreal also has Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble in the mix. We saw the Habs deal from a point of strength when they traded Logan Mailloux in exchange for Zachary Bolduc. The Canadiens could do something similar, as it appears that Guhle has now become expendable.
Kaiden Guhle’s Injury History a Concern
Throughout his young career, injuries have been a real concern for the 23-year-old Guhle. Throughout four seasons, his career high in games played is only 70. He played 44 games in his rookie year and only 55 last season. This year, he has participated in only five contests and is expected to be out of action into the new year. Injuries for a young player are always a concern, especially for a team that has struggled in that department as much as Montreal has so far. Kirby Dach has seen similar health struggles and is likely nearing the end of his Habs tenure, as a result.
When healthy and at his best, Guhle can be a top-four shutdown defender. However, it’s unclear if Montreal can rely on him to be in the lineup consistently moving forward. This is why they prioritized resigning the 31-year-old in Matheson. If the Canadiens plan to make a move involving Guhle, it would be wise to do so before they find themselves in a similar situation to that of Dach.
What a Kaiden Guhle Trade Could Look Like
Any trade involving Guhle will be for a top-six forward that fits the age range of Montreal’s core. Ideally, the Canadiens would like to acquire a centre but would settle for a winger to improve their forward corps. It’s unlikely that we see a one-for-one swap involving Guhle. Rather, it would be more likely that he is a part of a larger package.
Montreal won’t trade their young defenceman for just any player, however. It would need to be a forward with elite talent that they feel can be a key contributor moving forward. They’ve been linked to players like Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Tage Thompson in the past, to give some examples. The Matheson signing could be the final domino that leads to Kaiden Guhle being shipped out of Montreal as they look to improve their forward group.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
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