Kaiden Guhle was signed to a contract extension by the Montreal Canadiens, who continued to solidify their defense core.
The Montreal Canadiens had one of the busiest summers in the NHL after a calm offseason. The team wasn’t aggressive in the free agency market, but they have now internalized that aggression and secured the contracts of numerous important defenseman for the upcoming campaigns.
Kaiden Guhle, a young defender, is the most recent player to commit to the Canadiens for the long run. The team declared that they had signed Guhle to a $33.3 million, six-year contract, which would keep the 22-year-old in Montreal until the 2030–2031 campaign. The deal is worth $5.55 million on average every year.
Following a successful junior year with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, Guhle was originally selected by the Canadiens with the 16th choice in the 2020 NHL Draft. In his final season with the Raiders, he led the team as captain, establishing himself as a tough defenseman with good skating ability.
Following his draft selection, he spent two more seasons honing his skills in junior hockey before joining the Canadiens for the 2022–2023 campaign, where he played in 44 games. He averaged over 20 minutes per game while playing for the Habs, scoring 18 points and securing a top pairing position right away.
Guhle made significant progress even further in the most recent season. He once more averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game across 70 games, ranking third on the club in minutes. Along with increasing his offensive production, he ended the season with 22 points and six goals. He has 40 career points in 114 NHL games.
He’s also developed into Montreal’s defensive stalwart. He played a ton of penalty-killing minutes and stopped 178 shots in the previous season. The youthful defender performed admirably and made notable progress in his second full season.
Guhle joins Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj as the Canadiens’ third new contract recipient this summer. The Habs are hopeful that this decision is yet another step in the right direction as they look to compete in the NHL once more.
Leave a Reply