Kaiden Guhle Injury Impact Shakes Montreal Canadiens’ Defense

The Montreal Canadiens entered the 2025-26 season with cautious optimism, buoyed by their unexpected playoff appearance last spring and the continued development of their young core. However, those aspirations took a significant hit on October 18, when the team announced that defenseman Kaiden Guhle would miss four to six weeks with a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old had been a cornerstone of Montreal’s blue line, and his absence has created a ripple effect that extends far beyond simply missing one player from the lineup.

How Kaiden Guhle’s injury reshapes Montreal’s defensive pairings

The immediate and most obvious consequence of Guhle’s injury has been the disruption of Montreal’s defensive pairings, particularly his partnership with rookie sensation Lane Hutson. Before the injury, Guhle and Hutson formed what many considered the team’s most dynamic second pairing, with Guhle’s physical presence and defensive reliability complementing Hutson’s offensive creativity and puck-moving abilities. In their final game together against the Nashville Predators, the duo posted an impressive 66.1% expected goals share, demonstrating their effectiveness at controlling play in both ends of the ice.

With Guhle sidelined, head coach Martin St. Louis has turned to Jayden Struble to fill the void alongside Hutson. This isn’t Struble’s first rodeo in this role—he previously stepped in when Guhle suffered a serious leg laceration late last season. However, the results this time around have been considerably less encouraging. According to advanced metrics from The Hockey Writers, the Hutson-Struble pairing has struggled mightily, posting dismal expected goals shares in recent contests: just 19.2% against the Flames, 27.3% against the Sabres, and 26.5% against the New York Rangers.

These numbers paint a picture of a pairing that’s consistently getting outplayed and spending far too much time defending in their own zone. Struble, while a capable NHL defender, lacks Guhle’s combination of size (6’2”, 207 pounds), skating ability, and defensive acumen. Guhle’s ability to kill plays in the neutral zone and win battles along the boards has proven difficult to replicate, forcing Hutson to take on more defensive responsibility than ideal for a rookie still adjusting to the NHL game.

The reshuffling hasn’t just affected the second pairing either. Mike Matheson and David Savard on the top pairing have seen increased ice time and tougher matchups, while the third pairing of Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron has been thrust into situations they may not be ready to handle consistently. According to the official NHL announcement, Guhle had amassed two points and a plus-1 differential through five games before the injury, modest offensive numbers that underscore his value lies more in his defensive reliability than point production.

The Canadiens’ defensive depth, which looked promising on paper entering the season, has been tested earlier than anticipated. The organization responded by recalling Owen Beck from the Laval Rocket, though his skill set as a forward doesn’t directly address the blue line concerns. General manager Kent Hughes may need to explore external options if the defensive struggles persist, though his preference has typically been to develop from within rather than make panic moves.

Statistical decline in defensive performance without Guhle

Beyond the eye test and reshuffled pairings, the statistical evidence clearly demonstrates how much Montreal’s defense has regressed in Guhle’s absence. The team’s overall expected goals share has dropped to 48.2% according to MoneyPuck.com, indicating they’re being outchanced and outplayed at five-on-five more often than not. For a team that prided itself on defensive improvement during training camp, this represents a concerning trend that could derail their season if left unaddressed.

The Canadiens have surrendered more high-danger scoring chances in games without Guhle, forcing their goaltenders to make spectacular saves to keep games competitive. This increased workload for the netminders isn’t sustainable over an 82-game season, particularly for a team that has worked to move away from the Carey Price model of goalie-dependent success. Jakub Dobes has been sensational, posting a 1.47 goals-against average and .950 save percentage ahead of recent games, trailing only Igor Shesterkin in both categories league-wide.

However, as detailed in recent game coverage, relying on this level of goaltending performance isn’t a sustainable long-term strategy. The Canadiens learned this lesson painfully during the Carey Price era, when they built a team around elite goaltending at the expense of offensive depth. While they reached the 2021 Stanley Cup Final largely on Price’s brilliance, they managed just eight goals in five games against Tampa Bay, illustrating the limitations of a defense-first approach that depends on superhuman netminding.

The shot suppression metrics have also taken a hit. Montreal is allowing more shots from the slot and the high-danger areas of the ice, zones where Guhle’s long reach and positioning typically helped disrupt passing lanes and force opponents to the perimeter. His absence has made it easier for opposing teams to establish offensive zone time and cycle the puck effectively, leading to sustained pressure that eventually breaks down even the best defenses.

Penalty killing has become another area of concern. Guhle logged significant minutes on Montreal’s penalty kill units, and his ability to read plays and make smart stick plays helped the Canadiens maintain one of the league’s better short-handed units early in the season. Without him, the penalty kill has become more vulnerable, as evidenced by the parade to the penalty box that cost Montreal dearly in their loss to the Edmonton Oilers, where they surrendered a third-period lead.

Offensive contributions and transition game suffer

While Guhle isn’t known primarily as an offensive defenseman, his impact on Montreal’s transition game and puck movement has proven more significant than many realized. His ability to make strong first passes out of the defensive zone and join rushes at appropriate times added a dimension to the Canadiens’ attack that has been noticeably absent. The team’s breakouts have become less efficient, leading to more neutral zone turnovers and fewer odd-man rushes going the other way.

Guhle’s skating ability allowed Montreal to quickly transition from defense to offense, catching opponents off-guard and creating scoring chances before defensive structures could get set. His replacement options lack this combination of speed, vision, and confidence to push the pace effectively. This has forced the Canadiens to rely more on dump-and-chase hockey rather than the controlled entries that generate higher-quality scoring opportunities.

The power play has also felt Guhle’s absence indirectly. While he wasn’t a regular on the top power play unit, his ability to quarterback the second unit and keep plays alive at the blue line provided valuable depth. More importantly, his strong defensive play at even strength meant the team could roll all defensive pairings more confidently, keeping players fresh and effective when special teams opportunities arose.

Advanced tracking data shows that Montreal’s offensive zone time has decreased without Guhle, as has their ability to sustain pressure once they do establish zone time. Opposing defenses have been able to clear pucks more easily, knowing that Montreal’s defensive corps lacks the same level of mobility to retrieve pucks and reset offensive possessions. This has led to fewer scoring chances overall and more one-and-done possessions that limit the team’s offensive output.

The impact extends to the forwards as well. With less reliable defensive support, Montreal’s forwards have been forced to play more conservatively, staying deeper in the defensive zone and being less aggressive on the forecheck. This cautious approach runs counter to the up-tempo, aggressive style that head coach Martin St. Louis has been trying to implement, creating a philosophical disconnect between intention and execution.

The pressure on Jakub Dobes and goaltending depth

Perhaps no player has felt the impact of Guhle’s absence more acutely than rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes, who has been thrust into a starring role earlier than anticipated. His spectacular performances against the Sabres and Flames single-handedly earned Montreal victories in games they arguably didn’t deserve based on territorial play and shot quality. While Dobes’ emergence represents a positive development for the organization’s long-term goaltending pipeline, the level of performance required from him isn’t sustainable.

Dobes’ save percentage north of .950 places him in rarefied air, but history shows that even the best goaltenders can’t maintain such numbers over a full season. The increased workload and shot volume he’s facing due to defensive breakdowns will inevitably lead to regression to the mean. The Canadiens can’t afford to burn out their promising young netminder by asking him to be Carey Price 2.0, especially when the entire organizational philosophy has been to build a more balanced, complete team.

Sam Montembeault, Montreal’s intended starter entering the season, has found himself in an awkward position. The Canadiens’ loss to Edmonton in his most recent start, while not entirely his fault given the circumstances, has created questions about the team’s goaltending hierarchy. The controversy brewing over who deserves more starts represents a distraction the young team doesn’t need, particularly when the real issue lies in front of them on the blue line.

The defensive struggles have also exposed Montreal’s goaltenders to more odd-man rushes and breakaway opportunities, high-percentage scoring chances that are difficult for any goalie to stop consistently. These aren’t saves that should be expected regularly—they’re the result of defensive breakdowns that Guhle’s presence helped prevent. His ability to recover and get back into position to defend rush chances provided a safety valve that the current defensive group lacks.

Goaltending coaches must now work overtime to keep both netminders confident and prepared, all while managing the mental toll of facing higher shot volumes and quality. The silver lining is that this trial by fire could accelerate Dobes’ development and prove valuable experience down the road, but the immediate cost is stress on the goaltending position that wasn’t part of the season plan.

Strategic adjustments and what lies ahead for the Canadiens’ defense

As the Canadiens navigate the remainder of Guhle’s absence, Martin St. Louis faces difficult decisions about how to deploy his remaining defensive resources. The coach has experimented with different pairings and ice time distributions, trying to find combinations that can weather the storm until Guhle returns. One option gaining consideration is reducing Hutson’s minutes slightly and sheltering him with easier zone starts, allowing him to focus on his offensive strengths while limiting defensive exposure.

The organization has also looked to Laval for reinforcements, though the AHL roster doesn’t offer an obvious solution to replace Guhle’s skill set. Prospects like Logan Mailloux and Adam Engstrom represent intriguing long-term options, but rushing their development could do more harm than good. The Canadiens’ commitment to patient prospect management has been a hallmark of the Kent Hughes regime, and abandoning that philosophy now would send the wrong message.

Veteran presence becomes increasingly important during stretches like these. David Savard’s leadership and communication on the ice help keep the younger defensemen focused and positioned correctly, while Mike Matheson’s ability to eat heavy minutes against top competition provides stability. However, both players have limitations, and asking them to do even more carries its own risks of injury and fatigue.

The defensive system itself may require adjustment. Perhaps the aggressive pinching and gap control that worked with Guhle in the lineup needs to be scaled back slightly, prioritizing defensive structure over offensive activation until he returns. This more conservative approach may limit the Canadiens’ offensive upside but could prevent the kind of defensive breakdowns that have characterized recent games.

Looking at the calendar, Guhle’s four-to-six-week timeline means Montreal could be without him for up to 15-20 games depending on the specific nature of his lower-body injury and his recovery progress. The team’s performance during this stretch will likely determine whether they can maintain their position atop the Atlantic Division or whether they slide back toward the middle of the pack. Early-season points are just as valuable as late-season ones, making every game crucial.

The Canadiens have proven resilient before, weathering injuries to key players like Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine without completely falling apart. However, Guhle’s impact on the blue line is arguably more significant than any forward’s contribution, given the current construction of the roster. His return can’t come soon enough, both for the team’s immediate playoff aspirations and for the long-term development of players like Lane Hutson who benefit immensely from playing alongside him.

The silver lining in all of this is that adversity often accelerates development for young teams. Players like Jayden Struble and Justin Barron are receiving opportunities they might not have gotten otherwise, chances to prove they belong in expanded roles. If the Canadiens can tread water and maintain a respectable record during Guhle’s absence, they’ll emerge from this stretch battle-tested and deeper than before. But that’s a big “if,” and the underlying metrics suggest the current approach isn’t sustainable without significant course correction.

As Montreal continues its Western Canada road trip and looks ahead to a demanding schedule, the Kaiden Guhle injury impact on Montreal Canadiens defense remains the most critical storyline surrounding the team. The question isn’t whether they miss him—the statistics and eye test make that abundantly clear—but rather whether they can develop temporary solutions that keep their playoff hopes alive until their young defensive anchor returns to health. For a team with legitimate postseason aspirations, the next few weeks will serve as a crucial test of depth, coaching acumen, and organizational patience.