Sandwiching their best second period to date between two not-so-great ones, the Montreal Canadiens dropped a 6-3 decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. They learned the hard way that they won’t be able to count on Samuel Montembeault to bail them out every night, and that they’re going to need to figure out how to play a full 60 minutes. It wasn’t all bad though, as there were some positives they can look to build on before they’re back in action on Thursday.
Take Kaiden Guhle, for instance, who is off to about as strong a start as could possibly be expected of him.
Guhle now has four points through his first four games, a fantastic start for a player who was unavailable for essentially the team’s entire training camp. It would have been understandable if he started the season slow coming off of his appendectomy, but he has been the Habs’ most consistent defender night in and night out. He’s making plays at both ends of the ice, and generally finishing with the second-highest minutes at even-strength on any given night.
On the scoring front, he’s at a bit of a disadvantage because he doesn’t get power play time, and that is a unit that has surprisingly done some damage. He has to make things happen at even strength, and so far he’s been doing precisely that. His shot has always been an underrated quality, and if last night is a sign of him gaining more confidence to let it fly, he should be able to keep that production going.
This could be the start of the breakout season that we’ve been hoping to see from Guhle. His first two seasons in the NHL were shortened by injuries, and if he can stay healthy this year, his current level of play should see him putting up numbers that would more than justify the price tag of his new contract next season.
Frankly, the way he’s playing right now, that deal could look like a bargain by the time it actually kicks in.
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