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Montreal Canadiens: Predicting Habs 2025-26 Defense Pairings

By Ken MacMillan

Oct 28, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle (21) kneels on the ice beside defenseman Justin Barron (52) during warm-up before the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle (21) kneels on the ice beside defenseman Justin Barron (52) during warm-up before the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Montreal Canadiens have a plethora of young defensemen already on the roster, and more developing in the system as well.

The team can not say they boast the same depth of talent up front, but they sure look to be building a strong defense from within. We have already seen some young players take on big roles with the team this season and they continue to develop their game.

Two of the team’s best prospects are still percolating in the system and appear to be poised to take on big roles with the team in the near future. There really just isn’t room for everyone and the Canadiens are going to have to start making difficult decisions.

David Savard has one year left on his contract after this season, and I would be shocked to see him finish it with the Canadiens. Gustav Lindstrom has not played well enough in his audition to stick around much longer and Mattias Norlinder has not played well with the Laval Rocket this season and is more likely to play next season in Sweden than Montreal.

Howevr, with Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher on the horizon and Jayden Struble showing well this season, there are young defenders that will be pushing for full-time roles as soon as next season and will surely be NHL players by the following year at the very latest.

This could get difficult for Kent Hughes and the team’s managerial staff, so we figured we would just do the work for them. With next season likely to be a bit of a transition year (hopefully from bottom feeder to playoff contender) the team will need its solid group of defenders in place.

So, who will be on the Habs blue line to start the 2025-26 season? Let’s take a look at how we think the team’s group of defenders is going to come together in the near future.

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