The Montreal Canadiens have been at the forefront of trade rumors this season. The Habs have been actively looking to add a top-six forward. Injuries to Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, and Kirby Dach this season have accelerated that search.
Unfortunately for Montreal, the jammed trade market has failed to yield a worthwhile option. But that doesn’t mean the team hasn’t fielded calls from other clubs this season. In fact, the Canadiens have been getting quite a few of them.
In particular, the Canadiens have been getting calls on one young defenseman: Kaiden Guhle. The rationale out there, as Marco D’Amico of RG Media states, lies in the plethora of blueliners Montreal possesses. On the surface, it seems that the club has an overabundance of them. That’s why some teams believe that Montreal may be ready to part with one, Guhle, specifically.
D’Amico confirmed, according to sources within the Habs’ organization, that the team has nixed trade offers for Guhle. Per D’Amico’s sources, some Western Conference clubs have called GM Kent Hughes about the 23-year-old blueliner.
However, calls inquiring about Guhle have been non-starters for the Habs. The team is not parting with its first-round pick from 2020. Despite his injury this season, there’s room for Guhle in the Canadiens’ long-term plans.
The club signed the left-shot D-man to a six-year deal earlier this year. So, the likelihood of Guhle leaving Montreal is slim at best.
Canadiens Have Other Blueliners of Interest
As D’Amico noted, the Canadiens have other blueliners of interest. Most notably, Arber Xhekaj. Xhekaj, antics notwithstanding, has gotten some attention across the league. He’s the sort of tough, physical defenseman teams covet.
While his apparent one-dimensionality may be a turnoff, the Habs’ rearguard has shown signs of improvement.
Other blueliners who could draw interest include Jayden Struble and Alexandre Carrier. Now, the Canadiens may not want to part with either of them just yet, but they may have to at some point. Up-and-coming prospects David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom could push themselves into the Montreal lineup. That situation means someone will have to go.
The Canadiens’ blueline could come down to a game of numbers. And the number of places has been pretty much set.
Matheson Signing Complicates Matters Somewhat for Montreal
Mike Matheson’s extension last Friday pretty much took away a lineup spot for the foreseeable future. The Canadiens now have five defense spots spoken for essentially: Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, and Alexandre Carrier figure to be locks.
That situation leaves Struble and Xhekaj on the outside looking in. Montreal management has said it wants to keep Xhekaj, so that could make Struble expendable. Perhaps Struble could be the first piece to go if the Canadiens can get the top-six forward they covet.
As it stands, that may not be the case. But it won’t be for much longer. Carrier is a free agent after next season. So, could he be the piece Montreal dangles in front of right-shot-defenseman-starved teams?
The trade market could begin to open up as some clubs face the reality of this season. It may take some more time before a deal happens. But anything can happen at this stage of the season.
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