Starting the season with four rookies in their defensive unit, the Canadiens weren’t expecting to be a defensive powerhouse.
Nevertheless, the overall performance of the group surprised many, and we have to admit that some recruits perform well beyond expectations. In fact, as of October 10, the Habs had a roster with an average age of 26.2. A figure influenced by this so-called defensive, which alone had an average of 25.7 years.
Among those impressing is Kaiden Guhle, who is in a first pairing role with David Savard, fresh off his junior internship with the Edmonton Oil Kings. One thing is certain, the number 21 of the blue-white-red belongs to the National Hockey League. But does the CH defender have too much on his shoulders?
This is what Renaud Lavoie believes. “[Guhle] didn’t just finish two seasons in the American League, he just finished his junior internship. To be already on the first pair is a bit too much for him. He plays 22-23 minutes per game. I would be more comfortable with a 17-18 minutes to which we would add time on the power play,” adds the informant.
As a matter of fact, the rookie defenseman is first in the NHL in turnovers among guards with 28. In fact, there is only one skater on the Bettman circuit who has committed more, David Pastrnak with 29. The second defenseman in the category is Erik Karlsson with 23 turnovers.
“Kaiden Guhle is a player who demands a lot from his body. We saw it against Detroit. He injured his shoulder, he quit and then came back to the game. He’s a warrior, a real one, but he has to be careful not to want to do too much,” explains Renaud.
With the return of Mike Matheson in the next meetings, it will be necessary to review the chessboard in defense among the Canadians. It is highly likely that one of the youngsters (Guhle, Harris, Kovacevic and Xhekaj) will suffer the return of the one acquired in return for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling this summer.
A surprising duo
If the Canadiens’ organization relied solely on advanced statistics, it wouldn’t be Jordan Harris or Johnathan Kovacevic who would give up their place in the lineup. In fact, the duo is eighth in the entire league for the number of goals scored when the tandem is on the ice with 14 goals scored, compared to 9 goals against.
For comparison, the Guhle-Savard duo was on the ice for 12 goals for the Habs, which is excellent, but also for 20 goals for the opponent. For their part, Joel Edmundsson and Arber Xhekaj have a zero differential with three goals for and against since they were reunited.
In practice Friday morning, Arber Xhekaj was the seventh defenseman. Matheson had taken his place alongside Edmundsson. If this duo were to be reality Saturday night against the Flyers, it would be able to reduce the workload resting on the shoulders of Guhle and Savard.
Renaud Lavoie also commented on Nick Suzuki’s sparkling start to the season. To see the entirety of his appearance at JiC on Friday evening, it’s in the video at the top of the article.