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Jayden Struble was no longer part of the Canadiens' plans.
There was a logjam at the blue line, and the Montreal Canadiens opted to keep Adam Engstrom, Arber Xhekaj, and David Reinbacher.
Struble was either getting very few minutes per game in Montreal or was simply left out of the lineup altogether.
With his new team, the Nashville Predators, he's getting significant ice time.
He has already played more than 19 minutes in two games, including yesterday's game against the St. Louis Blues.
Struble logged 19:36 of ice time, delivered eight hits, and blocked three shots.
Top performers of the night, Oct. 17 (shots + hits + blocks):
Adam Edstrom NSH 12 (3 SOG, 8 HIT, 1 BLK)
Jayden Struble NSH 11 (0 SOG, 8 HIT, 3 BLK)
Moritz Seider DET 10 (2 SOG, 4 HIT, 4 BLK)
Joel Edmundson LAK 10 (5 SOG, 1 HIT, 4 BLK)
Jack McBain UTA 9 (1 SOG, 8 HIT, 0 BLK) https://t.co/i3yKEavb3Q— KodoHockey (@kodoHockey) October 18, 2026
Clearly, Preds head coach Andrew Brunette seems to have confidence in his defenseman, and that's great for him.
He's been very involved since arriving in Nashville. He's already recorded 18 hits in four games and has blocked five shots so far with his new team.
And if Brunette is giving him so much ice time, it's probably because he trusts him and he's living up to expectations.
He simply didn't have the opportunity to prove himself in Montreal with all the defensemen ahead of him in the pecking order. He got a few games with heavy ice time, but now he seems to be seizing his chance in Nashville to prove he can be a good defenseman.
Yesterday, he was playing alongside Nicolas Hague, another big guy who isn't afraid to throw out some hits.
That pairing must have been intimidating to face, much like when Struble was paired with Arber Xhekaj.
In a Nutshell
– Interesting.
Joe Haggerty on “Pucks with Haggs” about the Bruins & Zacha: I don't think they can have Elias Lindholm making the money he's making, Fraser Minten now making the money he's making, and then you also have guys like James Hagens and Dean Letourneau and all these young centers who are up and coming as well. I don't think you can have all that and have Zacha making huge money. – 10/17 #NHLBruins #NHL
— R i N K Y (@RinkyReport) October 18, 2026
– Babcock didn't mince words when it came to his role players.
Mike Babcock delivered a blunt message to his depth players about earning their chances on offense:
“That's what we're trying to do, and I think that's a great question. I think when you watch it, you're seeing one-and-done, one-and-done, one-and-done. You can't be one-and-done. You've got to be physical. And the hardest thing about the National Hockey League is that no one lets you have the puck, and you're a young guy—you come into the league, you want to have the puck.
We're not giving it to you. You've got to earn it. So you've got to win races. You've got to win battles. Your stick's got to be like a crowbar. Every time you have a chance, you have to win that battle and bring the puck back into the offensive zone—and that's the fun zone. The defensive zone is the work zone. Hang out in the fun zone.” #LetsGoOilers
— Sam Len (@SamLenSports) October 18, 2026
– Read more.
He chose to take a job in Philadelphia instead. https://t.co/fnEtJMMTzV https://t.co/ByLncN9I2k
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) October 18, 2026
