Kaiden Guhle claims to be back to full health

When Kaiden Guhle came to the Habs’ training camp last year, he was there as the club’s top blue-line prospect. A first-round pick in 2020, Guhle already looked like a pro in junior field hockey and was expected to force the CH’s hand to keep him in the NHL.

And sure enough, he was extremely solid in camp, earning himself a regular spot. In fact, due to the absence of Mike Matheson and Joel Edmundson, he was on the first defense pairing in last year’s opening game.

All season long, we’ve seen him demonstrate impressive confidence and composure on the ice. The problem, however, was that a nasty left ankle injury put an end to his season. And since he’d missed games earlier in the season with another injury, it was starting to take its toll.

The good news, however, is that the off-season allowed the young defenseman to recover. Speaking on TSN 690 today, Guhle said he’s back to full health right now.

And that’s really reassuring.

Guhle, who is spending the summer in Montreal and enjoying it immensely, has obviously found it difficult to spend so much time on the sidelines, but the good news is that he’s fine and feeling good right now.

This is all the more good news when you consider that he’ll have to take on an even bigger role next season with Joel Edmundson’s departure for Washington. Edmundson was a mentor to Guhle and will be missed by the team, according to his young (former) teammate.

At least Guhle will still be able to rely on David Savard, another guy who supported him enormously in his first year in town. The former first-round pick explained that, last year, Savard didn’t hesitate to take the blame when the duo made a mistake, even if the right-hander had nothing to be ashamed of.

The reason? He didn’t want to affect Guhle’s confidence too much.

But in the meantime, Guhle is enjoying his vacation in the city, where he’s impressed by the fact that there’s always something to do. He fell in love with Montreal last summer when he was there with Arber Xhekaj, Juraj Slafkovský and Filip Mesar, and this summer, spending the bulk of his time with Nick Suzuki is something he’s enjoying too.

In short, it’s reassuring to see him back in full health. All that remains is to hope that injuries will spare him over the coming season.

In bursts

– Without a doubt.

The best in the business 🎙️#GoHabsGo https://t.co/qrpFExL5GW

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) July 20, 2023

– There are a ton of good goal scorers in today’s NHL.

– Well done.

– An interesting bet for the Raptors. My text on the subject.

– We wish him all the best.