Montreal Canadiens defender Kaiden Guhle has been seen skating in Brossard, Quebec as of late. Thus, hinting at an imminent return from injury. Due to the recent acquisition of Phillip Danault, Guhle, along with Kirby Dach, were placed on long-term injured reserve for salary cap reasons. However, this doesn’t necessarily indicate a setback in his recovery time. Guhle has been out since mid-October after undergoing hip-abductor surgery. The hope is that he could return to the lineup early in the New Year. Once he returns to action, head coach Martin St. Louis will have some interesting decisions to make on the team’s blueline. Let’s analyze what the Montreal Canadiens defence could look like once Kaiden Guhle is back.

Montreal Canadiens Defence With Kaiden Guhle
Engstrom Earning His Place Over Regulars on Defence

Due to Kaiden Guhle’s injury on the blueline, youngster Adam Engstrom has earned two call-ups to Montreal this season. After an outstanding start to the season for the AHL’s Laval Rocket, Engstrom was more than deserving of being elevated to the big club. His confidence and his coach’s trust in him have been growing with every game. Engstrom’s ice time has been steadily increasing with each contest. It reached a career-high sixteen minutes in Thursday’s tilt with the Blackhawks.

In Engstrom’s last few games, he has arguably been outplaying some of the Canadiens regulars on defence. Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj, and Alex Carrier have struggled down the stretch for Montreal. Engstrom doesn’t bring the physicality of Struble or Xhekaj, or the defensive presence of Carrier. However, he is a far better skater than any of the aforementioned defenders. He can skate his way out of trouble and move the puck quickly and efficiently, which is something the Canadiens need. He isn’t poor in his own end, either, as his big frame and long stick allow him to break up plays.

Mike Matheson has missed the last two contests with a minor injury. However, he returned to the lineup Saturday against the Penguins. Instead of Engstrom coming out of the lineup, Struble sat in the stands. This move indicates that Engstrom may have done enough to remain in Montreal through the holidays.

Montreal Canadiens Potential Defence Pairings

We haven’t seen a healthy Canadiens blue line since early in the season. At that time, Matheson and Dobson were the team’s top pairing while Guhle found himself alongside Hutson. This left Struble and Xhekaj rotating alongside Alexandre Carrier. Since then, we have seen a shuffling of the duos due to the Guhle and Matheson injuries as well as Engstrom’s play. But what might the Canadiens pairings look like once everyone is healthy?

Guhle-Dobson
Hutson-Struble/Xhekaj/Engstrom
Matheson-Carrier

Splitting up Matheson, Dobson, and Hutson could be a smart move for the Canadiens. It gives them three strong pairings and means one of their top defenders is always on the ice. Guhle and Dobson would form a strong shutdown pairing that can match up against other teams’ top lines. Hutson has played his best hockey alongside Jayden Struble this season, but having a physical presence like Xhekaj, or a smooth skater like Engstrom, alongside him could also free him up offensively. Regardless of who he is paired with, the Canadiens should let him play on his strong side, which is something he didn’t do when paired with Guhle early on.

Finally, being paired with Matheson would be beneficial for Carrier, who has had a rough season. Matheson and Carrier would form a veteran pairing and give Carrier a stable partner, which he hasn’t had all season long with the shuffling of the cast alongside him. They formed a strong pairing in the past and gives the Canadiens another strong shutdown duo that complement each other well.

Kaiden Guhle’s Impact and Future with Montreal

With the contract extension for Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle finds himself in an interesting position on the Canadiens blueline. He is also locked in Montreal long-term, but he is now the third-best left-handed shot on the team behind Matheson and Lane Hutson. This has led some to believe that Guhle could be expendable for the Canadiens in a package that lands a top-six forward.

Despite this, he is still an important piece to the Canadiens defence. Guhle is arguably the Canadiens best shut-down defender, and there is a noticeable difference in the team’s defensive structure and penalty kill in his absence. Regardless, with so many left-shot defencemen already on the roster, on top of the recent emergence of Engstrom, Montreal will have some decisions to make on its blueline.

Main Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images