The Montreal Canadiens are working through their rebuild still. While they've had a rather respectable season on the ice, the Habs still have a ways to go. Head coach Martin St. Louis, who is currently away from the team, has made a noticeable impact on his young players. That includes Kaiden Guhle, one of their more intriguing prospects.
Calling Guhle a prospect may be underselling him. The Edmonton native already has a little over 100 games in the NHL under his belt. However, he is still relatively new to the grind of hockey's biggest stage. The 22-year-old Canadiens rearguard is only in his second season in the league. Guhle took time to speak on the grind of the league earlier this week.
“There are ups and downs,” Guhle said, via NHL.com. “There are times where you feel things are going really well and you’re feeling good, but it’s the NHL, it’s the best league in the world and there’s downs. There are times when maybe things aren’t going your way, and you have to deal with that.”
Kaiden Guhle may be a fixture on Habs' blueline
The Canadiens selected Kaiden Guhle in the 2020 NHL Draft. Guhle was a first-round pick and entered the Habs organization with a ton of promise. He spent parts of three seasons with the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders before his draft year. And in his draft year, he broke out, scoring 40 points in 64 games.
The 22-year-old blueliner played another 19 games for the Raiders after being drafted. After scoring 15 points in 17 games in 2021-22, the Raiders traded the Edmonton native to his hometown Edmonton Oil Kings. Overall, he recorded 40 points in 42 regular season games. He went on to add 16 points in 19 playoff games.
Guhle made his NHL debut last season. He played in 44 games with the Canadiens and turned in a respectable performance. He scored four goals and 18 points from the point for Montreal. The Habs missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs, though, by a wide margin.
The 22-year-old has experienced some ups and downs, as he acknowledged. Guhle has played in 64 games to this point in the 2023-24 season. However, his scoring pace has dipped. The Canadiens defender has five goals and 16 points so far this year.
Canadiens' Kaiden Guhle is still learning
Of course, Kaiden Guhle's value is not on offense. He is a defenseman, and as such, his primary value comes in the work he does in his own zone. That's been an up and down performance, as well. But Guhle has seen progress in that area, even though he is still learning how to navigate the pro game.
For myself, I’m just learning to deal with that a little better, but I see a lot of progress in my defensive game and it’s something I’ve always taken pride in, is defending well,” the Canadiens rearguard said, via NHL.com.
That is something the Habs defender has taken away from this season. Though the progress is there, he recognizes that there is more to learn. And that learning process is vital for his success in this league. “Learning that and the pro side of the game is huge and I’m still learning that,” he said, via NHL.com.
The Canadiens hope Guhle will be a major part of their future success. He certainly has the potential to be one of the better defenseman in the NHL. Habs fans should certainly keep their eyes on the Edmonton native who could be a star in the making for Montreal.
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