Impact Of Long Term Kaiden Guhle Injury On Canadiens Lineup

The Montreal Canadiens have announced defenceman Kaiden Guhle will be out indefinitely with a lacerated quadricep muscle, which required surgical intervention.

The recovery for the surgery varies, but according to one study, most workers return to their jobs after roughly four months. A few other sources mentioned a shorter recovery time frame, but given we have little to no information about the details of Guhle’s injury, not to mention we lack a medical degree, it’s best to assume he will be out of action for the foreseeable future, at the very least.

The fact that the Canadiens did not offer a time frame is also far from an encouraging sign.

Le défenseur Kaiden Guhle a subi une lacération au muscle du quadriceps, qui a nécessité une intervention chirurgicale. Il a obtenu son congé de l’hôpital aujourd’hui et sera tenu à l’écart du jeu pour une période indéterminée.

Defenseman Kaiden Guhle sustained a lacerated… pic.twitter.com/dCriJjdJtH

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 29, 2025

Guhle Impact On The Montreal Canadiens Lineup

The first domino to fall was the recall of defenceman Jayden Struble from the Laval Rocket. Even though the young defenceman quickly lost his shine this season, it’s only fair to remind everyone that when he was paired alongside Arber Xhekaj, Struble produced very solid numbers.

In fact, other than David Savard, every defensive partner that has played with Struble has enjoyed good results.

MUST READ: Finding A Role For Montreal Canadiens Defenceman Jayden Struble

As for plugging the hole left behind by Guhle, all I can say is godspeed to general manager Kent Hughes. Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson are already among the busiest defencemen in the league, while Alexandre Carrier isn’t too far behind.

To make matters more complicated, Guhle was the second-busiest Canadiens defenceman at 5v5, playing over 18 minutes per game for Martin St-Louis.

The options to replace him are few and far between. Or, to be even more accurate, they don’t exist.

The defensive group will have to absorb his ice time by committee, a situation that’s not ideal given the current workload for the defencemen in the top four. It’s also worth pointing out that Savard’s numbers have cratered significantly in the last two years, to the point that he should be kept as far away from the top four as possible if the Canadiens want to cling to the hope of qualifying for the playoffs.

Laval Rocket Options

For now, the Canadiens can afford to play with just six defencemen, but the California trip is coming up, which means they are likely to recall a defenceman from the AHL for reinforcements during the West Coast trip.

The first name that comes to mind for most is offensive-minded blueliner Logan Mailloux. He’s set to represent the Rocket at the All-Star weekend thanks to another solid offensive season that has seen him score nine goals and 13 assists in 35 games. Even though the sample size is limited, he has managed to register four points in his six NHL games, which points to a player who is ready to help from an offensive standpoint. He’s also a right-handed defenceman, which could help head coach Martin St-Louis balance his defensive group.

Logan Mailloux calls game🗣️@RocketLaval | #LAVvsPRO pic.twitter.com/xNlF565C1S

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) January 26, 2025

However, despite Guhle producing a very healthy amount of offence, he mostly did it at 5v5, whereas Mailloux specializes in powerplay production, and his defensive play still leaves a lot to be desired.

If the Habs want to call up a player who has more professional hockey experience, they could look to Adam Engstrom, a left-handed defenceman that has the ability to play on his offside.

Like Mailloux, Engstrom feels comfortable in the offensive zone, as evidenced by his four goals and 15 assists this season for the Rocket. He’s quickly become one of the most trusted players in the lineup, absorbing a lot of ice time for head coach Pascal Vincent.

I’d argue he also has a lot of work to be done in the defensive zone, but he’s not prone to as many mistakes as his All-Star counterpart, a factor that could tip the scales in favour of the 21-year-old Swede.

Adam Engstrom OT winner for @RocketLaval as heard on @TSN690 @TheAHL pic.twitter.com/9T5nA2iaNA

— Campbell (@seanrcampbell) January 23, 2025