Guhle Injury Opens The Door For Key Canadiens Prospects
There was some unfortunate news on Monday, as Montreal Canadiens defenceman Kaiden Guhle is reportedly set to miss the start of the 2026-27 season.
Guhle underwent surgery this summer following yet another unfortunate injury, and the recovery period will extend into the start of the year according to TVA Sports reporter Renaud Lavoie, who suggested a return to play in November is possible.
The Canadiens will miss Guhle, given that he’s tasked with absorbing some of the most difficult minutes in the NHL, but every problem leads to opportunity, and that’s certainly the case for a pair of young defencemen who are hoping to earn a job in the NHL.
Calling All Defensive Prospects
Heading into camp, it appeared that either David Reinbacher or Adam Engstrom would face a difficult challenge earning a roster spot, but with Guhle’s temporary absence, the door has opened for a potential promotion.
Of course, neither player can replace Guhle outright, as those hellish minutes will be reserved for defencemen who have much more professional experience, but it’s a very intriguing window for the prospects nonetheless.
Reinbacher, a right-hand shot, will likely be given a longer look now that there are legitimate minutes available. In his case, a promotion to the NHL only makes sense if he can continue to develop to a certain extent, whereas using him as a contingency plan would only slow down a process that has already faced an endless number of hurdles.
His ability to quickly corral pucks and drive the play up ice is clearly a bonus for a speedy team, and his improved confidence since joining the Laval Rocket in the AHL should ensure that the mistakes are mitigated.
On the other side of the coin, or rather, the blue line, we will find Engstrom, a prospect who does not receive as much praise as young players who were drafted in the first round, but has more professional experience than most prospects at this stage of his career.
The 22-year-old defenceman has been facing older opponents since 2021, and has accumulated over 220 games of professional experience, split between the Rocket, the Canadiens, and Rogle BK (SHL). It’s also worth noting that he’s done a fantastic job playing both on the left and right side of the blue line, adding an important element of versatility to the mix.
From a production standpoint, Engstrom was miles ahead of his counterparts while playing for the Rocket.
His 15-game audition with the Canadiens resulted in very encouraging underlying numbers, to the point that he was one of the few defencemen who managed to control a relatively healthy amount of high-danger scoring chances whenever he was on the ice, a serious area of weakness for the Habs.
All Montreal Canadiens are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
