As the Canadiens gear up for a crucial four-game road trip that could determine their playoff fate, there’s good news on the horizon: they’re about to get a key player back. Defenseman Kaiden Guhle returned to practice with the team at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Monday morning, donning a regular jersey and participating in contact drills. He had been skating on his own for over two weeks in preparation for his comeback.
The 23-year-old has been sidelined for 19 games since suffering a lacerated quadriceps muscle in a January 28th game against Winnipeg, an injury that required surgery. Initially, it was believed that the 6-foot-3, 202-pound Edmonton native would be out for the remainder of the season, with no official timeline given for his return.
While Guhle will be joining the team for their road trip, which begins with Tuesday’s game against St. Louis (8 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM), head coach Martin St. Louis didn’t specify when he might play or which defenseman would be scratched once Guhle returns to the lineup. In his 44 games this season, Guhle has posted four goals and 14 points. He was not made available for media interviews.
St. Louis did confirm, however, that goaltender Samuel Montembeault will start his fifth consecutive game to kick off the trip, which also includes matchups against Philadelphia on Thursday, Carolina on Friday, and Florida on Sunday afternoon. The Canadiens have 13 games remaining in the regular season.
Despite a two-game losing streak — an overtime loss to the New York Islanders and a shootout defeat to Colorado — Montreal still holds the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the New York Rangers (with two games in hand) and two points up on the Islanders.
I’m a bit surprised. I thought when he first got hurt, he’d be done,” said defenseman Alexandre Carrier of Guhle’s recovery. “But we’ve got a great medical staff, and he’s young, so I guess you heal faster at that age.”
Carrier expressed excitement about having Guhle back on the trip, praising his positive attitude and energy in the locker room. “If he gets to play, we know what he can do. He brings so much stability and plays hard, logging big minutes.”
Veteran defenseman Mike Matheson was also impressed with Guhle’s potential return, noting the dedication he’s shown in his rehab. “It’s great to see and it’s exciting,” Matheson said. “He’s a big part of our defensive corps. He can log a lot of minutes and has played really well this season.”
In Guhle’s absence, the Canadiens have relied on a rotation of six defensemen, including Logan Mailloux, who was called up from AHL Laval for five games in February. With Guhle’s return, one defenseman will need to be scratched, likely either Jayden Struble or Arber Xhekaj.
Matheson, however, sees this as a “good problem to have,” given the solid performances from all the defensemen. “Everyone’s been playing really well. There has been a lot of great play. That’s why we’re in this situation.”
The Canadiens (15-15-4) have been solid on the road and have yet to lose to any of their upcoming opponents. They’ve already beaten St. Louis 5-2 at home, edged Philadelphia 4-3 on the road, shut out Carolina 4-0 at home, and defeated Florida — the defending Stanley Cup champions — twice, outscoring them 7-1.
Despite their recent setbacks, the Canadiens showed resilience by battling back from a 3-1 deficit against the Islanders and a 4-1 hole against Colorado, both times making a strong push in the third period. This demonstrated a growing maturity in their game.
“I think momentum is huge,” Matheson said. “Having the crowd behind us on Saturday probably put them on their heels a little more and gave us a big energy boost. We’ve definitely shown maturity, being able to reset better mid-game.”
While every game is crucial, Matheson stressed the importance of focusing on the next opponent: “The most important thing now is St. Louis.”
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