The Montreal Canadiens and general manager Kent Hughes are really on a hot streak. Yesterday they announced the re-signing of young defencemen Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj. Today, they are excited to announce the contract extension of another big piece of the future of their blueline. This one perhaps being the cornerstone, Kaiden Guhle. Guhle is signing a six-year contract extension with the Habs that will see him paid an average annual value of $5.55 million.
Canadiens getting work done: Kaiden Guhle is 6 years x $5.55 million. https://t.co/EntHp10YOv
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) July 31, 2024
Kaiden Guhle Signs Six-Year Contract Extension With Montreal Canadiens
Guhle is a 22-year-old Alberta native. He was a first round (16th overall) selection by Montreal in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Since that time, he has shown that he is a gamer. Guhle plays with intensity and already plays a complete game. Attributes that are hard to come by in young defencemen.
In 114 career NHL games, Guhle has compiled ten goals and 30 assists. Furthermore, he has racked up 255 blocked shots and 200 hits, all the while skating 20:43 minutes a night. He has been someone the Canadiens have put a lot of responsibility on at his early NHL development stages. According to hockey-reference, his dZS% is a whopping 62.6%. Moreover, Guhle has played well under pressure situations, despite not appearing in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs as of yet in his career. Lacing them up for Team Canada, Guhle showed his intangibles in multiple appearances. The most recent appearance was the 2024 Men’s IIHF World Championships. There he had five points in nine games played for the Canadian squad.
What Does this Mean for the Montreal Canadiens
As we have seen from the signings yesterday, and also back to recent drafts, Montreal is loaded with NHL prospects and potential for the future. They may be a couple years away from true playoff contention, but they are close. Adding Guhle for the next six years, gives them a terrific top-four defence option. As the rest of the group matures and grows together, players like Jayden Struble and Lane Hutson, will make this Montreal blueline competitive, well-rounded, and hard to matchup against. The amazing thing, is all these guys are young. Between the five defenceman we mentioned here, Xhekaj is the oldest at 23 years and 183 days. Incredible when you think about their development, as individuals but also from the Canadiens organization as a whole.
Main photo: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
