MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens will have to make do without their top shutdown defenceman.
Kaiden Guhle is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on a lacerated quadriceps muscle, the Canadiens announced Wednesday.
Guhle exited Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets when he crashed awkwardly into the boards in the third period. He held the top of his right knee in noticeable pain as he rushed off the ice toward Montreal's locker room.
The team says Guhle was released from the hospital on Wednesday.
It’s a significant loss for the Canadiens heading into the final third of the NHL season.
Guhle has four goals and 10 assists in 44 games this season. The 23-year-old from Edmonton is also a key penalty-killer who matches up against the opposing teams’ top players on a nightly basis.
He averages 21 minutes 14 seconds of ice time, the third-most on the Canadiens blue line behind Mike Matheson and Lane Hutson.
Montreal recalled defenceman Jayden Struble from the American Hockey League ahead of Thursday’s home game against the Minnesota Wild.
Guhle, a defensive workhorse, has a long list of injuries only three seasons into his NHL career.
He played 44 games during his rookie season in 2022-23, missing time due to knee, upper-body and ankle injuries. Last season, he missed time with multiple upper-body ailments.
Struble, also 23, has two goals and three assists in 26 games with the Canadiens this season.
The Canadiens sent Struble to affiliate Laval for a conditioning stint last week because he was a regular healthy scratch.
Entering Wednesday's NHL action, Montreal was two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.
The Canadian Press
