Don’t expect the Montreal Canadiens to trade defenseman Kaiden Guhle. The team is keen to retain the blueliner and will explore other options first, only moving Guhle if the offer is so outrageous it cannot be ignored.
Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens have been busy locking up their own top talent in recent months. Firstly, it was the much-discussed long-term extension for Lane Hutson, which might have lasted longer than either party would have liked. Last weekend a new contract was signed for veteran defenseman Mike Matheson, who would become a UFA at the end of the season.
With Hutson and Matheson on the left, along with Noah Dobson and Alexandre Carrier on the right, everything seemed to be on the Montreal blue line. While that is still the case, after spending a lot of money on all these defensemen, questions have been raised about the future of Kaiden Guhle, and according to RG Media’s Marco D’Amico, teams across the NHL have been calling and wondering the same thing.
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D’Amico wrote:
“It was recently speculated by Jean-Charles Lajoie of TVA Sports that Guhle’s name has come up in trade talks with other teams, which RG can confirm… The Canadiens have made it clear that they believe Guhle is part of the future in Montreal as he brings a level of physicality, defensive awareness and mobility to a package that no other defenseman currently possesses for the Canadiens,”
The report adds:
“Guhle is a universally regarded player among NHL executives when he’s healthy and playing, so it only makes sense for them to take their chances. But as of right now, the Canadiens have no plans to move such a key piece. That doesn’t mean they don’t have other options,”
The 23-year-old Guhle is in the first season of the six-year, $33.3 million extension he signed with the Canadiens in 2024.
Will Montreal keep Kaiden Guhle?
While D’Amico mentions that the Canadiens have no interest in moving Guhle at this time, should we expect this sentiment to continue throughout the life of his contract?
Honestly, it should considering how much talent Montreal already has up front. There’s really no need to trade Guhle for another high-end forward, and we’ve seen his ability to play offside, which is very valuable and could allow him to remain in the top four even after all these extensions.
Guhle has a very different skill set than Hutson, Matheson, Dobson and Carrier, as a more physical, defensive defenseman suited for playoff hockey, so Montreal shouldn’t let that go.
It certainly makes sense to hear other teams calling with interest, but if nothing else, that should reaffirm the Canadiens’ need to hold on to their 2020 first-round pick (16th overall) for the foreseeable future.
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