Canadiens: Jayden Struble Holds Up Well in NHL Debut
By Ryan Praught
Jayden Struble made his NHL debut for the Canadiens on Wednesday night for the Canadiens and helped them secure a win in Anaheim for the first time since 2014. As far as NHL debuts go, it wasn’t the most jaw-dropping, but it was a very solid start to his NHL career.
Playing on a pairing with Gustav Lindström, Struble played just 11 minutes but had a five-on-five xGF% of 72.82%. The worry for the Canadiens would have been how that pairing fared, playing them mainly out of necessity due to a staggering amount of injuries on the backend. So far, so good.
Jayden Struble didn't have to do anything spectacular tonight. He just needed to play a smart, efficient game, and he did exactly that.
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 23, 2023
Good NHL debut. pic.twitter.com/v4prueQ1q6
Struble didn’t play enough to draw any major conclusions about his NHL future, especially against a not-so-stellar Ducks team, but it was still an encouraging performance. Struble is a freakishly athletic player, someone who can skate really well but also lay the hammer down. He put some of that on display Wednesday.
Jayden Struble’s first steps in the NHL so far are so in-character.
— Hadi Kalakeche (@HadiK_Scouting) November 23, 2023
Breakout excellence, darting through pressure in the OZ, skating his way out of trouble… I love it.
The Canadiens needed to call someone up due to all the injuries and have also recalled Mattias Norlinder, who did not play Wednesday, but Struble earned his opportunity. He’s played well in Laval, registering six points in 12 games thus far in his first full pro season. He got into nine games last year with Laval (plus two playoff games) after leaving Northeastern in the NCAA.
The next test will be Friday versus the Sharks, an opponent reeling right now after another blowout loss on Wednesday. As far as your first two games can go, Anaheim and San Jose might be the best two opponents you can play from an easing-you-into-it standpoint. Saturday’s afternoon affair against the Los Angeles Kings will be the first real test with Struble.
But if he can play the way he did on Wednesday versus Anaheim, he’ll be just fine. It’s too early to tell what Struble will be in the NHL, but you can see the potential he has. He can be a solid NHL defenseman, and he took a big step toward becoming one against the Ducks. Now, we’ll see if he can be consistent in that regard.
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