It has been a tough season for the Montreal Canadiens defenceman. Injuries have plagued the lineup for forwards and the back end. However, even in the absences of key veterans, the younger guys have stepped up. It is great to see and shows glimmers of light towards the future for the Montreal.<\/p>\n
At the quarter-point in the season<\/a>, the Habs are hovering around .500. After finishing 28th in the league last season, and dead last the year before, even being on the playoff bubble in December is reason for optimism. Another reason is the way the young D has been stepping up for Montreal- most notably Kaiden Guhle<\/a> and Justin Barron<\/a>.<\/p>\n The first Canadiens defenceman to step up is Guhle. Still just 21 years old, Guhle is one of the youngest top-four defencemen in the NHL. The 2020 first-round pick was known as a physical, smart player coming out of the WHL, as well as an above-average skater. Since David Savard<\/a>‘s injury, Guhle has picked up a lot of his ice time, including on the penalty kill. At over 21:00 per game, he’s become a dependable presence on the blue line. Only Mike Matheson<\/a> sees more minutes in Montreal. He’s also chipped in eight points (2G, 6A) in 19 games this season.<\/p>\n And Guhle is not one to shy away from physicality. He’s listed at 6’3″ and 201 pounds, and at his age he could easily put on another 10-15 pounds in the next few years. Check out this open-ice hit on Dylan Cozens<\/a> from last season:<\/p>\nKaiden Guhle<\/a><\/h3>\n