Kaiden Guhle Returns to Save the Canadiens' Defense from Itself

The Montreal Canadiens are finally getting Kaiden Guhle back on the ice, which is great news for a team that has spent the first week of the season treating defense like a mild suggestion.

According to Daily Faceoff, the young defenseman will make his season debut tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. Guhle has been sidelined to start the year, forced to watch his squad bleed goals on a nightly basis.

"Daily Faceoff reported Guhle's return to the lineup."

Montreal is sitting at an ugly 0-3, having surrendered 17 goals across losses to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, and Nashville Predators. That is nearly six pucks a night finding the back of their net. You do not need an advanced analytics degree to know that math does not translate to winning hockey.

Throwing Guhle back into the mix is not going to magically turn the Canadiens into a brick wall, but it at least gives them a fighting chance at clearing the crease. When your blue line is getting cooked this consistently, getting a legitimate top-four defenseman back feels like finding water in the desert.

The Red Wings are coming to town with their own baggage, sitting at 1-2 after getting lit up by the Seattle Kraken 6-3 on Friday. Detroit has some offensive firepower, meaning Guhle is going to be tested immediately in his first game action.

Bettors looking at tonight's matchup are probably staring hard at the over, considering neither of these teams has shown much interest in stopping the puck so far. But if Guhle can eat some heavy minutes and stabilize Montreal's chaotic defensive zone, the Canadiens might finally stop the bleeding and grab their first win of the year.