Kaiden Guhle’s injury: expect to see two call-ups in the coming days

Dose
Crédit:

Last night, the Canadiens lost to the Jets by a score of 4-1.

That said, it’s not the main takeaway from the game. What stands out is that Kaiden Guhle got injured during the match. His health status is quite uncertain.

Injuring yourself like that when your skate gets caught is never a good sign, let’s say.

Obviously, because the Canadiens have announced nothing more than “Guhle is day-to-day for a thorough evaluation of his lower body” at the moment, it’s understandable to worry. Martin St-Louis’s reaction when he received an update on his defender’s health caught attention.

I know we can’t judge the situation solely on that… but the coach’s eyes spoke volumes yesterday.

Moreover, this is not the first time Guhle has been hurt in his career. And it’s not even the first time he has injured his knee, as happened during his rookie season.

Often, Guhle gets injured during a game and even if it’s minor, we know he is injury-prone. Last night’s game appears to be a somewhat different case based on the information we have at hand.

What doesn’t help keep hopes up is that in the locker room, the atmosphere was low.

After the game, captain Nick Suzuki didn’t exactly hide his fears. Seeing Guhle leave the rink the way he did did not create a good feeling in the locker room.

It’s a terrible feeling. — Nick Suzuki

It’s a sentiment that was shared in the locker room. Even Martin St-Louis, when asked about the matter, stated that losing Guhle for just one game hurts.

As Anthony Marcotte said, it is clear the coach fears the worst.

Because the Canadiens have been relatively spared in terms of injuries this season (I am referring to the regular season as training camp has been harsh, with Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher), it’s not surprising to see a situation like this arise.

A season without injuries doesn’t exist. #EmilHeineman #KaidenGuhle

But the Canadiens, no matter how fortunate they have been at the start of the season, will have to react. Assuming Kaiden Guhle is injured, the team currently has only five healthy defensemen.

In view of tomorrow’s game, a defenseman will need to be called up if Guhle has to sit out. Jayden Struble, who is conditioning down below, could be an option for tomorrow’s game.

But there’s also the Canadiens’ trip to California that will change the equation. After all, the Canadiens are heading to the western U.S. and the team is expected to leave on Friday. Struble is likely to be on the plane, regardless of Guhle’s injury, because he needs to be recalled soon.

However, if Guhle is out for a while, a seventh defenseman will be needed on the road. What this means is that we should expect to see, from now on, two defensemen (likely including Struble) being recalled before departing for the United States.

Will Logan Mailloux be the lucky one? Possibly.

Note that in the coming days, as Anthony Marcotte reminded on BPM Sports, Mailloux will theoretically be at the AHL All-Star Game (the festivities will take place on Sunday and Monday) after playing Friday and Saturday in Laval. And the All-Star Game will be held… in California.

Adam Engstrom, William Trudeau, Gustav Lindstrom, and Noel Hoefenmayer are other options for the Canadiens for a call-up. So I wouldn’t be surprised if Mailloux and Struble were the Canadiens’ choices.

But at the same time, the Canadiens could easily recall Lindstrom, who is a right shot.

in brief

– Miro Heiskanen’s injury from Mark Stone is not going unnoticed. Here’s another one we worry about this morning.

– The Islanders are getting better.

– Oh really?