Montreal Canadiens: Kaiden Guhle has been excellent to kick off 2022-23

The Montreal Canadiens 2022-23 season is underway and in full swing, as the team is 2-2 to start things off. As the team continues to iron things out and figure out things that are working and areas to improve, there has been a youngster who has stood out on defense.

Coming into the year, the Montreal Canadiens knew that their defense core would be extremely young and inexperienced. So far, Kaiden Guhle has embraced his role well and gotten the job done for the Habs.

Guhle is off to a great start to his NHL career, finding ways to get things done night in and night out. The expectations cannot be super high for the young defender, but he has consistently stepped in and played top-pairing minutes.

The Canadiens have to be more than pleased with how well Guhle has adjusted. It’s less than a handful of games, but he’s looked comfortable and carried a strong preseason into the regular season, proving he can handle the NHL pace and intensity.

Montreal Canadiens defender Kaiden Guhle has exceeded expectations.

Guhle has consistently played on the top pairing with David Savard as his battery mate on the team’s top pairing. The 20-year-old defender picked up his first two points in the Habs’ most recent contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This gives Guhle two points on the young campaign. But he’s also averaged close to 20 minutes of ice time, which was third-best overall on the team going into the contest against the Penguins. He was behind only captain Nick Suzuki and David Savard.

Guhle has the potential to be a top-pairing defender in Montreal for a long time. His start to the 2022-23 season has been exceptional, with plenty to be excited about. For Guhle, he needs to keep his head down and keep grinding out solid performances.

To this point, he has looked good. He’s in control of his actions, staying true to his game, and has made adjustments at times to continue to settle into the NHL game. As the season continues, the Habs should be hoping that Guhle can keep performing as well as he has.

If he continues to play like this, Guhle will be on pace for an impressive breakout season. The Habs might have themselves a dude in Kaiden Guhle. The first-rounder from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has looked great so far.

There may not be a ton to celebrate during the 2022-23 season, so being happy about a solid start from a young defender is certainly allowed.