Kaiden Guhle is set to finally get his 2026-27 season underway Saturday, and the Canadiens will welcome him back after a four-game absence caused by offseason surgery.
The Montreal defenseman had a minor procedure on his adductor muscle over the summer to deal with an issue that had already been bothering him. That problem limited him to 39 games in the 2025-26 regular season, so this return has been a while in the making.
When Guhle was on the ice last year, he still gave Montreal important minutes. The 6-foot-3 left-shot blueliner finished with two goals and 11 points in 39 regular-season games while averaging 19:28 of ice time. He then added eight assists and logged 20:29 per night over 19 playoff games as the Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference Final.
His comeback also comes with a fresh opening on the roster. Montreal moved depth defender Jayden Struble to the Nashville Predators on Friday, receiving a 2027 second-round pick in return. With that spot cleared, Daily Faceoff’s line combinations page has Guhle projected to skate beside Mike Matheson against the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre.
Guhle’s path to this point has been a steady climb through the Canadiens organization. Montreal took him in the first round, 16th overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Edmonton, Alta. native played junior hockey with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders and Edmonton Oil Kings before turning pro in 2022.
Aside from three games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket during the WHL pause in the 2020-21 season, Guhle has spent his entire pro career in the NHL with Montreal. Injuries have interrupted that run at different points over his four seasons, and his highest games total with the Canadiens came in 2023-24, when he played 70.
In 208 career NHL games with Montreal, Guhle has posted 18 goals, 69 points, and 171 penalty minutes. He has also chipped in eight assists across 24 playoff games.
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