The midway point of the NHL season has come and gone, and the Montreal Canadiens are sitting at seventh overall in the standings. This has surprised some and has led to general manager (GM) Kent Hughes declaring in a recent press conference that the rebuild is ahead of schedule.
Related: Montreal Canadiens’ 2nd Line Will Determine Success of the Rebuild
Despite that, there are still a lot of unknowns that need time and patience for him to assess before he can address them. The club has yet to play a game with a fully-healthy lineup and there are several players out with injuries who can fill into some very important roles. Because Hughes doesn’t know exactly how they’d help the team, he can’t go out and make any dramatic changes yet. While the focus is on adding another offensive player, the biggest impact on this team is the eventual return of defenceman Kaiden Guhle.
Olympic-Sized Shakeup
That doesn’t mean Montreal doesn’t have other needs as well before becoming Stanley Cup contenders. The rebuild is ahead of schedule, but it is clearly not complete. Hughes made it clear that he still needs to add another top-six forward with size, physicality and playoff experience.
“I find we score a lot. We give (up) a lot, too. But if you look at the advanced statistics, it’s a bit contradictory in that we’re getting a lot better defensively than we are offensively. But we have a lot of talent, so it appears as though we’re able to capitalize more on scoring chances than maybe other teams.”
Hughes noted that his ability to add what the team needs depends on several factors beyond his control. Such as health, the youth developing as expected, and what players become available from other teams who may become desperate to compete or sell. According to Jimmy Murphy at RG.org, multiple core forwards are being monitored on the trade market. Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Vincent Trocheck have quietly been in talks in the past this season and might be again if the New York Rangers can’t get itself moving up the standings, and soon, possibly even by the Olympic roster freeze. As far as Montreal is concerned, they would have some interest in any of the three named and have all of the assets required to make a deal.
But with the Canadiens trying to show some patience, making a major deal to shake up the roster before the Olympics doesn’t really fit the patient approach Hughes spoke of. Instead, a smaller deal to move out a high-cost contract could be a better fit for both sides. According to Jimmy Murphy’s sources, Brennan Othmann is available. He’s a speedy offensively skilled two-way winger who has yet to prove he can be an NHL regular. So the cost to acquire him may not be very high; Patrik Laine with 50% salary retained may be enough. But for Montreal, the better fit may be Adam Sykora, who plays with an edge and can fill in on a penalty killing unit, someone that could be a great fit on a bottom six. That would offload a pricy contract before the playoffs (helping Montreal’s playoff salary cap ceiling issues) and add some depth for the NHL club but also for Canadiens American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Laval Rocket.
Canadiens Adding a Top Four Defenceman
The Canadiens can count on some major reinforcements, and as soon as Kaiden Guhle is back to full practice and close to returning to play, possibly as early as this week. Patience is the keyword yet again for Montreal. Guhle’s latest injury happened because he played through an older groin injury. That’s why they’re taking their time, that and they have that luxury because the team is doing so well as they sit seventh in the NHL and are within striking distance of the top spot in their division.
At 23 years old, Guhle is already seen as an important piece of the puzzle for the Canadiens’ future blue line. He is also signed long-term, with a six-year contract with a $5.55 million annual salary; that’s a bargain for a top-four defenceman…if he can stay healthy. According to Eric Engels, he’s coming back soon, stating “I think once he gets that practice under his belt, it’s just a matter of time whether it’s Wednesday or right up again this weekend, we’ll see. But he’s coming back”.
For Guhle to return, someone has to go down to the Rocket. The Canadiens still have three goalies on the roster, and if they wanted to send someone back to the AHL, it would make sense to do it today, and the immediate choice is Jacob Fowler based solely on his waiver exemption status and age. Jakub Dobes is also waiver-exempt, so he could also go down, but Fowler’s status as the future starter would mean the club would like to have him start as many games as possible to get the development that he needs, while Dobes is still earmarked as a future top-end backup.
Yet, if they bring a defenceman off long-term injured reserve, moving a defenceman out is the most obvious choice, and that leaves Adam Engstrom. But once that’s done, who sits? Two names that come up immediately are Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj. It will likely fall to a decision on what the team needs to compete against that night’s opponent.
Canadiens Need the Right Fit
Guhle brings a lot to the table. Before his injury, he was consistently playing over 17-18 minutes per game at even strength, also adding significantly to the penalty kill and being someone the coaching staff could trust in any situation. He was used mostly on the left side on a pairing with Lane Hutson. While his defensive numbers were strongest on his strong side, he was capable of playing on the right side as well. That is important to note, as when he was injured, Hutson was moved to the left side on Dec. 11 and his offensive and defensive numbers improved dramatically.
Because Guhle has only played five games this season, to be fairer in his evaluation, you have to include his 55 games played in the 2024-25 season. Over those 60 games, he demonstrated solid efficiency and adaptability playing on his off side (the right), a role he has filled in often, mostly due to the defensive logjam on the left side. While he deserves to play on his natural side and playing his off side presents challenges, his strong skating, physical play, and high hockey IQ have allowed him to perform effectively as a top-four shutdown defenseman.
Using only this season’s advanced statistics, it wouldn’t be unfair to assume that placing Guhle on Hutson’s right side would bring about similar statistical outputs to the the Hutson and Alexandre Carrier pairing. They have a positive goals differential and possession stats, but also improved defensive stats and have cut back on total shots against. Basically, a better performance in both offensive and defensive outcomes.
Decent defensive numbers in the tough minutes Guhle had played are nice to see. Yet what the Canadiens need at this time is for that to continue on the right side. He excels at using his leverage and long stick to close down space and passing lanes, effectively forcing opponents to the boards or into hurried plays. His ability to transition quickly is built on his strong skating skills, mobility, and aggressive gap control. This helps him defend effectively against the rush, regardless of the side. Guhle is not known primarily for his offence, but his mobility and intelligence allow him to be part of the transition game. Playing on the right side might slightly limit certain offensive-zone plays compared to his natural left side, but he still effectively activates on the weak side and makes smart, efficient passes to help clear the zone and start the rush.
The sacrifice made is to his offensive totals, but it is obvious that Hutson’s abilities offensively would more than make up for that and allow him to play a more well-rounded defensive game. That would make Guhle’s job defensively a little easier to the benefit of both players and the club as a whole.