The Montreal Canadiens have been without the services of Kaiden Guhle for the last few games, and now it appears they will be so for a while. Earlier today, they announced that Guhle will be out a minimum of eight weeks with a lower body injury.
Kaiden Guhle ratera au moins huit semaines d’activité en raison d’une blessure au bas du corps.
Kaiden Guhle has a lower-body injury. He’s sidelined for a minimum of eight weeks.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 6, 2023
Guhle was quietly putting together an impressive rookie campaign, sitting near the top of rookie scoring among defensemen. This will derail that, and likely any chance he had of sneaking into the Calder conversation as the season wears on. He has also been one of the top defenders for the Habs, so this is a blow not only to his rookie campaign, but to a team that has been performing quite poorly without his services.
This eight week timeline is a minimum, as Guhle has been spotted with a brace on his knee, so we know that while the team is only saying lower-body, this is an issue affecting his left knee. The injury occurred during the recent loss to the Florida Panthers, and looked to be one that could cause some time off with the way his knee was bent.
And that’s likely the end of Kaiden Guhle’s night as his leg and knee bend awkwardly on a hit with Barkov pic.twitter.com/s6jwtcIBYn
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) December 30, 2022
The team also announced that Brendan Gallagher will be absent for at least two weeks, also with a lower body injury. The exact cause of this injury is unclear, but reports have indicated it is something that has been bothering him for a while this season, and was recently re-aggravated.
Brendan Gallagher sera absent pour un minimum de deux semaines en raison d’une blessure au bas du corps.
Brendan Gallagher has a lower-body injury. He’s sidelined for a minimum of two weeks.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 6, 2023
What this means for the Habs lineup moving forward is unclear. They may have to recall a body from Laval other than Anthony Richard, who has been with the team for several games. If either of these injuries go beyond their respective return timelines, it could provide a lengthy opportunity for some of those players to audition with the team.
As always, we will keep you updated if and when the team elects to recall any players from the Rocket.
