Kaiden Guhle and the dilemma of his playing time

If the saying goes that it’s when you lose something that you fully realize its value, it’s clear that in the Kaiden Guhle case, the Habs are more than ever appreciative of the quality minutes offered by the defenseman.

The last two games have been good examples. While Mike Matheson played less (he didn’t finish Saturday’s game against the Jets and couldn’t take any more on Monday, obviously still injured) than usual, it was Guhle who ate up the minutes.

The four games without Guhle didn’t necessarily go badly, but it’s been clear since his return how much better his game is than that of the club’s other youngsters.

Without David Savard and with Mike Matheson clearly not in top form, Guhle is the “veteran” on the blue line.

When I say “veteran” in reference to Guhle, I’m not talking about age or pro appearances, since there are plenty of other guys ahead of him in that respect: I’m talking about the way he plays.

I mean the stud on the blue line, actually. #ConfidenceMan

To see him come back from an “upper-body” injury and be able to play 25 and 26 minutes against the Jets and Knights, respectively, is a great asset to any coaching staff.

Maxim Lapierre, speaking on Mario Langlois (98.5 FM), was quick to sing his praises.

Lapierre spoke of Guhle as a king on the ice. He added that it’s rare to see a guy as good defensively and as physical, in addition to mentioning that he’s as important as Cole Caufield.

And let’s not forget this:

His attitude. His leadership. He has a calmness about him. He has an uncommon way of reading the game. I’m sorry, but he’s a genius on the ice! – Maxim Lapierre

It’s easy to see why Lapierre loves him. And he’s certainly not the only one, since negative comments about Guhle are pretty rare when it comes to his play on the ice.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite: people want to see him given more responsibility, including on the power play. This would allow him to develop his offensive instincts, which do exist.

In reality, we agree that he deserves to play on the PP. That said, there are two problems with thinking about him playing more than he is right now.

Which two, you ask?

• Can he really play more?
• Is he at risk of injury?

After all, if he were to take someone else’s place on the power play, that would mean we’d have to see him play less elsewhere (even strength, shorthanded, whatever) on the ice.

And the CH can’t afford that.

This must inevitably lead us to the point of health. Guhle is always at risk of injury, and we agree that even if I’m not in every living room in Quebec during field hockey games, I know you’re all holding your breath when Guhle is involved in a physical play.

His injury history is frightening, and he often goes down fighting.

So that, to me, is Guhle’s dilemma: we want to give him more playing time, he deserves more playing time, he deserves to play on the power play, but the CH can’t necessarily afford it.

Because even though the CH relies heavily on him without David Savard, we mustn’t forget that Guhle was born in 2002 and has been on the road to the infirmary. These are two aspects not to be forgotten, no matter how good he is.

In bursts

– What do you think?

– A blue sweater…

– He’ll have to stand up.

– Too bad.