The Montreal Canadiens are hoping to take another big step, possibly squeaking into the playoffs come April.
A few things will need to go well for that to happen, but let's zoom in on one of them - the development of the Canadiens blueline. We have seen the young guys come in and do some heavy lifting, with some help from David Savard, Mike Matheson and before that Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry, Joel Edmundson and Shea Weber. All of the veterans deserve credit, for helping the young defenders learn the ropes of the NHL game, but they wouldn't have any success without their hard work and ability to absorb lessons on the go.
One of the best examples of a player being able to learn from his peers, while thriving, despite being new to the league is Kaiden Guhle. Guhle played a lot of minutes at five on five with the Matheson in 2023-24. While it wasn't all smooth sailing, the league got to see how talented that Guhle truly is.
Guhle scratching the surface
The skating and physical edge to his game are a signature, and in large part what has made Guhle successful through the Western Hockey League and into the NHL. But his vision and ability to read the offence are huge standouts in his game. Very seldom is he caught out of position or puck-watching, but he has an extra gear to disrupt attackers and prevent chances against if he has a miscue.
Offensively, I think that is where his game has much room to grow, but he has the potential. Guhle is a great passer on the breakout and he has a heavy, accurate shot. He doesn't use it nearly enough, but I think if he would use his heavy slapshot and mix in some quick wristers, he could become a legitimate offensive threat. I expect that Guhle might have hesitated and avoided doing too much offensively, to avoid making any defensive mistakes, but with confidence to build on, there may be another level for Guhle to reach this season.
Guhle's six goals and 22 points were a solid output for his first year on the top defence pair for the Canadiens. While it was an impressive year, I think that Guhle is only going to get better offensively, with some added strength and focus on directing pucks to the net. I don't expect that he will ever be a big offensive player, but I don't think 10-15 goals are out of the realm of possibility and with a balanced top six, the assists should easily increase.