Kaiden Guhle’s status is suddenly casting a bigger shadow over the Montreal Canadiens’ blue line, and it’s putting even more heat on Kent Hughes to get Arber Xhekaj signed.
Guhle was seen in a tracksuit on Tuesday, then missed the last two practices altogether even though he was still in Brossard. With official training camp only days away, that kind of repeated absence is enough to set off alarm bells for anyone watching the situation closely.
If Guhle ends up missing time to open the season, Montreal’s defensive depth gets a lot thinner in a hurry. That’s where Xhekaj’s unresolved contract starts looking even more pressing. He’s still training without a deal, and the Canadiens could use a healthy, physical defenseman who might help absorb some of the burden if Guhle isn’t ready.
Xhekaj posted 4 points in 65 games last season, but his impact is tied more to the edge he brings than the numbers beside his name. In a scenario where the Canadiens need someone to step in and play a hard-nosed role early, that kind of presence matters.
The situation around Xhekaj had already been lingering for weeks, and some are now connecting the dots to the recent closed-door practice in Brossard, when media members and fans were kept out. With camp approaching fast, Hughes doesn’t have much room to let either issue drag on.
Whether this latest injury concern actually pushes the contract talks over the line is still unclear. For now, the pressure is just higher, and the clock is ticking.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Sam Montembeault Decision Worth Watching
With the Canadiens carrying more than enough goaltending depth to at least entertain the idea of a move, Sam Montembeault has quietly become a name worth monitoring. Montreal has spent enough time building up its crease to create options, and that alone makes the veteran netminder a different kind of asset than he might have been a year ago. For a team that is still sorting out its bigger picture, it is the sort of situation that can turn a stable position into a trade chip if the right market opens.
Kent Hughes also does not usually operate in the most obvious lanes when he is looking for value, which matters here because a simple goalie-for-pick deal may not be the path he prefers. If Montreal decides Montembeault belongs in play, the return could hinge on a more creative type of transaction, the kind that comes with a player who needs a reset or a contract another club wants to move. The broader goalie market could end up shaping how far that idea goes, and the Canadiens will be watching closely to see whether the right opening ever appears. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Reopen Practice But Dach Questions Are Only Growing
After a one-day closed-door session, the Canadiens were back in front of the public on the ice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and the usual practice rhythm returned with it. Fans in attendance got a look at the group as it skated, with Kirby Dach among the players spotted during the open session, a small but notable sight for anyone following the clubs day-to-day health and lineup picture.
The brief shutdown has only added to the curiosity around why the team chose to shut things down in the first place. Montreal has not offered an official explanation for the one-day closed-door practice, leaving the move open to interpretation and keeping attention fixed on the details that matter most to a team that is already being watched closely every time it hits the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Pricey Kirill Marchenko Debate As Pressure Builds
The Canadiens are in the middle of another one of those summer conversations that says as much about where the organization is headed as it does about the player at the center of it. Kirill Marchenko has been floated as a possible fit in Montreal, a reminder that a winger entering the final year of his contract can quickly become a conversation piece when a team is looking to keep pushing its rebuild forward.
For now, the whole thing remains firmly hypothetical, with no confirmation of interest from either side. Still, the idea has gained enough traction because the fit is obvious enough to debate and the price would be significant enough to make Montreal think twice, especially with pressure building around how aggressively the club should chase help versus protect its long-term core. [Read more 🡒]