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Kaiden Guhle: an Alex Pietrangelo 2.0, according to Martin Lemay

Kaiden Guhle is slowly becoming one of, if not the Habs’ most important player. It got BPM Sports host Martin Lemay thinking, and he was quick to compare him to one of the NHL’s best defensemen of recent years: Alex Pietrangelo.

That’s quite a statement, to be sure. It even took La Presse columnist Mathias Brunet a bit by surprise, but I have to admit that the whole thing is far from false (and crazy).

We agree, Kaiden Guhle still has plenty of crusts to eat to reach the level and record of Alex Pietrangelo. The current Golden Knights defenseman may never have won an individual NHL honor, but he’s recognized by many as a powerhouse on the blue line.

That’s not to mention the fact that he led two different teams to a Stanley Cup: the Blues in 2019 and the Golden Knights last season. Yes, he wasn’t alone during those conquests, but he acted as first defenseman in both cases, even as captain with the Blues.

But back to our very own Kaiden Guhle. This is only his second season on the Bettman circuit, even though he only played half of his rookie year in 2022-23 due to injuries. He didn’t do badly in his first few games, even though he was very good, but being poorly surrounded, his differential was -19.

How about we forget that first season? Let’s just focus on this new campaign. It should still be his first full NHL season.

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After 11 games, Guhle has collected 5 assists and scored one goal. He also boasts an excellent +7 rating. In his first full season in 2010-11, Alex Pietrangelo had almost identical statistics. After his first 11 games, he too had a total of six points and a +7 rating.

That’s a lot of similarities and, as Martin Lemay says, it’s also down to his style of play. Guhle plays in a similar way to Pietrangelo, like a defensive general. We’re talking about a guy who can produce at a good pace offensively, while being excellent defensively and remaining robust with good checking.

Next game, take the time to observe Kaiden Guhle’s game. He’s really grown in confidence this season and serves up good checks to his opponents. He doesn’t give up.

All aspects of Guhle’s game are excellent this season, so take a look for yourself.

He’s able to reduce other teams’ chances while creating other chances that help the Tricolore’s cause. We can also add to that the fact that he now has 35 blocked shots since the start of the season. That’s good for 17th in the NHL, behind several players who have played 3 or 4 games more than him.

We shouldn’t get carried away thinking that Kaiden Guhle will immediately become a top 5 defenseman in the entire NHL, but I firmly believe that he’s capable of reaching that plateau in the next few years.

In brief

– Montembeault the star.

– A positive note in Josh Anderson’s misery.

– He’s playing better and better.

– No surprises here.