Kaiden Guhle: if the CH replaces him, it will be with an “Alexandre Carrier-like” trade

On Tuesday night, the CH lost their game against the Jets… but they mostly lost Kaiden Guhle. The defender tore his quadriceps… and there are good reasons to believe that his season is over.

It’s a really, really unfortunate injury.

The big question now is how the Canadiens will replace their young general. It’s a heavy loss on the blue line, after all, and the guys are going to have to step it up.

In fact, we know that Jayden Struble has been called up immediately. That said, as reported by Dave Lévesque (Journal de Montréal), the main party involved is not particularly happy to be returning under these circumstances:

It’s more bitter than sweet because I would have come back anyway next week, I would have preferred to wait in Laval. – Jayden Struble

Basically, it’s worth noting that Struble, who was in the midst of a conditioning stint in Laval, was going to return to the big club regardless. And even though his call-up was expedited, it doesn’t make him exactly happy.

He would have preferred to return in a context where Guhle is still healthy, clearly.

That said, with #21 possibly missing the rest of the season, the question is whether this changes the Canadiens’ plans leading up to the trade deadline…

And Pierre LeBrun discussed this on TSN airwaves tonight.

In short, the informant claims that the injury doesn’t drastically change the club’s plans: Kent Hughes is not ready to pay the big price for a rental player. That said…

LeBrun notes that the CH might still try to replace Guhle, but by acquiring a player who could have an impact beyond this current season. A bit like the Alexandre Carrier trade, essentially.

INSIDER TRADING…

– 25-26 cap projection likely TBA at 4 Nations
– #CBJ a team to watch re: Pettersson
– Doughty returns; Team Canada closely monitoring
– Guhle injury doesn’t change Habs’ deadline plan
– Free agent Saad set to draw interest

MORE: https://t.co/uQe0tbKvHb pic.twitter.com/OwWCCoIZyJ

— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) January 30, 2025

The informant notes that the CH was already interested in completing a transaction of this kind before Guhle’s injury, and one can wonder if the club will be more inclined to pursue it as the trade deadline approaches.

Especially if the club is still in the mix in a few weeks…

In the immediate future, therefore, don’t expect to see the Canadiens going after a defenseman on an expiring contract to try to mitigate the impact of Guhle’s loss.

That said, if the opportunity arises to acquire another defenseman who, like Carrier, could contribute in the long term, that’s a different story.

In brief

– The last time the CH beat the Wild, Nick Suzuki scored his first career goal in the NHL.

The last time the Habs beat the Minnesota Wild was on Oct. 17, 2019.

A rookie Nick Suzuki scored his first career NHL goal that night. pic.twitter.com/aPtArcuOSB

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 30, 2025

– Good news for the Suzuki family.

Le frère de Nick rappelé par les Canes. https://t.co/N5Wl6qB0aS

— Vincent Duquette (@VincentDuquette) January 30, 2025

– Still.

Ça fait plus de 30 minutes que le #CFMTL pratique les coups francs.

Pas une mauvaise idée

C’est Kobié Johnson qui donne toutes les directives. pic.twitter.com/yofPqH3tbh

— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) January 30, 2025

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