Canadiens are spiraling after brutal Alex Newhook and Kaiden Guhle injury blows

The Montreal Canadiens will be out two crucial players for the foreseeable future. When everything seemed to be going right for Montreal, sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, they will have to find a way to continue the momentum without Alex Newhook and Kaiden Guhle for the next couple of months.

Two major losses

Newhook's injury came against the Dallas Stars, adding another reason fans would like to forget what happened in the game. He got tangled up with Stars' defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin, fighting for a loose puck heading into the corner boards. Lyubushkin's stick gets caught up in Newhook’s skates, and he flew full speed into the boards feet first. Newhook’s immediate reaction showed that something was terribly wrong. The Canadiens confirmed the bad news Friday morning, with Newhook set to be out for the next four months as he recovers from his surgery to repair his fractured ankle.

Guhle’s news was more of a surprise. The defenceman has been out of the lineup since October 16th after suffering a lower-body injury against the Nashville Predators. The Canadiens were hoping the injury would heal on its own, but the team announced at the same time as the Newhook update that Guhle will also be going under the knife to repair a partially torn adductor muscle. His timeline to return is 8-10 weeks.

In light of the Newhook injury, the Canadiens recalled forward Jared Davidson, who has been having an excellent season with the Laval Rocket. The Habs' 2022 5th-round pick has been a goal machine with the Rocket, with nine goals in 13 games.

Where do the Canadiens go from here?

The Canadiens face the challenge of replacing two integral members of their lineup. The biggest loss comes on offence. Newhook was coming into his own this season, forming great chemistry with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen, recording six goals and 12 points in 17 games. The Canadiens will need to figure out a way to replace that production, and if they can not find it internally, they may have to look elsewhere.

Unless Davidson production can seamlessly translate to the Canadiens, the team will likely need to be more active in the trade market if they do not want to make this a lost season. The focus now likely shifts away from a second-line centre to more winger help, and will probably need to add another defenceman.

With the Predators and the Buffalo Sabres near the bottom of the standings once again this season, they could potentially be open for business if the Canadiens want to make a splash in the trade market. Sabres winger Alex Tuch has an expiring contract and could be available if the team feels like he will leave in free agency. The Canadiens have already inquired about Tage Thompson and could circle back on that idea in light of the injury.

Predators’ forwards Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, and Jonathan Marchessault could be trade targets, but still have term left on their contracts at high salaries. The Canadiens could also circle back on St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou, who they have been linked with since before his no-trade clause kicked in this summer. The Canadiens will make a trade, but it is more about how big a splash they will make.