Hockey

Kaiden Guhle: further proof that his name is on the market
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Kaiden Guhle: further proof that his name is on the market
Credit: YouTube

The Canadiens have several quality defensemen in their line-up.

Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Kaiden Guhle (injured), Alexandre Carrier, Jayden Struble (currently in bad shape), Arber Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom are currently in the NHL.

And in Laval, David Reinbacher is getting more and more comfortable.

By necessity, this means that the Canadiens could, in the short or medium term, have nine guys capable of playing in the NHL at the same time.

That's a bit much. And at some point, someone will have to go.

Let's agree that Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson and Mike Matheson, three top-4 guys who signed long-term contracts to stay in Montreal in recent months, aren't going anywhere.

Kaiden Guhle? Marco D'Amico(RG media) is able to confirm that his name is indeed being circulated(as JiC had said)… but that it's the other teams that are calling. The Habs don't want to trade their defenseman, even if he is fragile.

So that means another defenseman will have to go, at some point. The Habs can't just let the market value of some guys melt like snow in the sun without doing anything.

To get a #2 center, you have to give, after all.

For what it's worth, I don't think David Reinbacher is worth trading. His market value can't be too high, and the club's management has bet on him by drafting him, for better or worse, in the top-5 in 2023.

He's right-handed and he's getting comfortable offensively in Laval. Why should he be sacrificed?

So that means the other four (Carrier, Engstrom, Xhekaj and Struble) may be the defensemen most likely, in light of all this, to be the sacrificial lamb.

I doubt Carrier will be the one to leave in the short term. Even if it's harder these days, a veteran right-hander who kills penalties like he does isn't exactly a hot commodity in the organization.

I'm not saying a trade will happen tomorrow morning… but it could. After all, Kent Hughes has never been afraid to trade a young defenseman in the past. #AlexanderRomanov #JordanHarris #JustinBarron #LoganMailloux

The other three, who are left-handed, could potentially leave if the right piece were to make its way back. And we imagine every team has its preferences.

But what are the preferences of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton? Does Adam Engstrom's NHL test give the club the answers it's been looking for?

To be continued…


overtime

– The Expos file isn't dead?

– Absolutely.

– Martin St-Louis brings a lot of leadership.

– A name to keep in mind.

– What will the Panthers do?

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