Canadiens To Activate Kaiden Guhle Off LTIR
The Canadiens will welcome back a key part of their back end tonight against Detroit. The team announced that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will return to the lineup, meaning he will be activated off long-term injured reserve.
The 23-year-old has been limited to just five games so far this season before a mid-October groin injury sidelined him until now. In those five outings, Guhle had a goal and an assist along with 16 hits in a little over 19 minutes per night of playing time.
In the first season of a six-year, $33MM contract, Guhle has been a very important part of Montreal’s back end. At least, that is, when he has been in the lineup. He has logged more than 20 minutes per game in each of his first three NHL seasons while averaging just shy of 20 points in each. However, he’s now missed 116 of a possible 290 games since his rookie campaign, meaning he has been out 40% of the time.
With Guhle’s return, the Canadiens now have their full defense corps available to them. The same can’t be said up front, however, with the team still without Josh Anderson, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, Patrik Laine, and Alex Newhook with recovery timelines ranging from day-to-day to multiple months away from returning.
Earlier this week, Montreal assigned defenseman Adam Engstrom to AHL Laval with no corresponding roster move made at the time. As a result, the Canadiens had an open slot to activate Guhle so no other roster moves are required.
Canadiens Interested In Flames’ Blake Coleman
The Montreal Canadiens have continued their ascent out of their rebuild in 2025-26, following up their playoff berth last season with a strong first half of this year. The Canadiens sit atop the Atlantic Division with a 25-13-6 record, and look increasingly likely to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
While they’re the NHL’s youngest team and being powered by a dynamic young core of players, it would be no surprise to see the team supplement its youth with some veteran talent. They’ve already done so, acquiring Phillip Danault from the Los Angeles Kings, and additional deals could be coming.
Yesterday, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on the network’s Insider Trading segment that Calgary Flames veteran Blake Coleman is “pretty high up on the list of the Montreal Canadiens” in terms of players they’d like to acquire via trade. LeBrun specifically referenced Coleman’s versatility, physicality, and leadership as elements to his game that the Canadiens are reportedly drawn to.
According to LeBrun, the Canadiens and Flames have discussed Coleman, but nothing is imminent as the Canadiens would prefer to take stock of their team at the Olympic break, especially considering the injuries the team is currently dealing with.
Worth noting is that Coleman wasn’t able to finish yesterday’s game against the Boston Bruins. Any potential injury could dramatically change his prospects of being traded. Flames head coach Ryan Huska did tell the media, though, that he believes Coleman’s absence was more precautionary than anything else.
Another factor to consider regarding any potential Coleman trade is the trade protection on his contract. While he no longer has a full no-trade clause as he did for the first three years of his contract, he still is protected via a 10-team approved trade list. There’s no firm word at this time as to whether the Canadiens are on Coleman’s 10-team approved trade list, and if they are not, Coleman would need to sign off on the deal before he could be traded to Montreal.
It’s easy to see why Montreal would be interested in acquiring the 34-year-old veteran. He’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion who has scored at a decent middle-six rate as a member of the Flames. He already has 13 goals this season and managed 15 goals, 39 points last year. He’s also a first-unit penalty killer in Calgary and carries an additional year of control at a $4.9MM AAV.
When everyone is healthy, Coleman’s fit in Montreal’s forward lineup isn’t obvious, especially given the recent emergence of mid-season addition Alex Texier on the team’s top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. But if two injured forwards, say Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine, are unable to play again this season due to injury, the addition of Coleman would go a long way towards protecting the team’s depth up front. At the current moment, he could slot in alongside Danault and Zachary Bolduc on the Canadiens’ third line, shifting Brendan Gallagher to the fourth line.
From the Flames’ perspective, trading Coleman would come as an acknowledgement that the team isn’t prepared to seriously compete in the playoffs over the next two years, the remainder of Coleman’s deal. While LeBrun did indicate that Calgary isn’t prepared to give up on 2025-26 just yet, the Flames’ position in the standings doesn’t indicate a readiness to push for a playoff spot. The Flames are 18-22-4, good for third-to-last in the NHL.
Trading Coleman would allow Calgary to collect some value for a veteran winger whose contract is set to expire before the Flames are likely ready to seriously compete for a playoff spot. The Canadiens entered the season with a top-five prospect pool according to both The Athletic’s Corey Pronman and Elite Prospects, meaning the Flames could collect some valuable young assets in a Coleman trade.
A Coleman trade could be a mirror of a Flames/Canadiens trade from a few years ago, when these respective franchises found their competitive positions flipped. The rebuilding Canadiens sent veteran Tyler Toffoli to the Stanley Cup hopeful Flames, netting prospect Emil Heineman and a first-round pick in return. The Canadiens later used Heineman, who has 13 goals and 20 points this season, in a trade to acquire star blueliner Noah Dobson.
While Toffoli and Coleman aren’t exactly one-to-one comparable players, the trade is a clear example for the Flames showing how they could materially improve their long-term competitive hopes by trading Coleman. The Canadiens are hardly going to be the only team interested in Coleman’s services. If the player’s contractual trade protection doesn’t serve as too big an obstacle to the process of finding a deal, the Flames could end up taking a notable step in the right direction by making the decision to trade their veteran winger.
Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Montreal Canadiens Reassign Adam Engstrom
The Montreal Canadiens announced today that defenseman Adam Engström has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket.
Engström, 22, finishes what was his first-ever NHL recall with 11 games played. While he wasn’t able to collect his first NHL point, Engström showed some flashes playing in what was a sheltered third-pairing role. He averaged 12:32 time on ice per game, which ranks as the second-lowest average time on ice per game among Canadiens defensemen this season, ahead of only Arber Xhekaj.
Despite the limited usage and lack of any production, Engström doesn’t return to the Rocket empty-handed. He showed flashes of what made him the Canadiens’ No. 6 prospect, according to Elite Prospects. Engström’s game is built around his mobility and his poise, and in December The Athletic’s Arpon Basu wrote that the Canadiens “clearly have a promising talent in Engström.”
Now slated to return to Laval, it’s likely Engström will resume playing a key role for the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate. He scored 16 points in just 20 games before his recall, and could form a formidable top pair alongside 2023 No. 5 pick David Reinbacher. If the Canadiens face an injury to the left side of their defense, expect Engström to be first in line for a recall.
Engström’s reassignment also signals that top-four defenseman Kaiden Guhle could be nearing a return to the ice. Guhle has been out since Oct. 16 with a groin injury. He underwent adductor muscle surgery on Nov. 14 and was originally given an eight-to-ten week recovery timeline. Tomorrow will be eight weeks since that point, placing Guhle squarely within that originally projected return window.
If the Canadiens do end up getting Guhle back, his return would be a significant boost to the team’s defense. While it wouldn’t be without complications — star defenseman Lane Hutson would likely have to be shifted to the right side, where he has been less dominant than he’s been on his natural left side — the overall effect on the team’s blueline will almost certainly be positive.
Guhle is a key top-four defensive defenseman for the club and should help lighten the load placed on the shoulders of veteran Mike Matheson. Matheson leads all NHL defensemen in short-handed ice time per game with 4:18 per contest, and ranks No. 8 in the NHL in time-on-ice per game despite barely receiving any power play time. If Engström’s reassignment does indeed signal a Guhle return, the Canadiens defensive deployment is likely to soon change.
Radkov Traded In The QMJHL
- QMJHL Saint John announced that they’ve acquired Canadiens prospect Arseni Radkov from Blainville-Boisbriand. The goaltender was a third-round pick last June, going 82nd overall and is in his first and only season at the junior level. He has a 3.01 GAA and a .894 SV% in 23 games so far this season. Radkov is committed to play at UMass next season.
Josh Anderson Leaves Game Due To Injury
- In tonight’s chaotic matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens, the latter is dealing with some injury concerns up front. The Canadiens announced that Josh Anderson had exited the game due to injury. The veteran winger scored one goal on his only shot of the game, skating in 9:36 of the action.
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Mike Matheson Out With Upper-Body Injury
- The Montreal Canadiens have a little bit of a different look to their defensive core tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. Before the game, the Canadiens announced that defenseman Mike Matheson would miss the game due to an upper-body injury, and rookie Adam Engstrom would take his spot in the lineup. Matheson’s injury has caused some controversy, as it’s likely linked to being elbowed by Panthers forward Brad Marchand in yesterday’s overtime win. Marchand was penalized on the play, but didn’t receive any supplemental discipline.
- Back in Montreal, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels provided a few injury updates on Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle. Engels suggested that the Canadiens are remaining cautious with Dach, who has missed the last six weeks with a fractured foot. He’s expected to return soon, but could need additional time before he’s fully ready to return. Meanwhile, Engels stated that the team is far more optimistic about Guhle, who could return when Montreal returns from their current road trip, which would be on January 7th against the Calgary Flames.
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Jake Evans To Miss Four To Six Weeks
Already missing four regulars, Montreal’s injured list has grown again. The team announced that center Jake Evans will miss the next four to six weeks due to a lower-body injury. The Canadiens had already placed him on injured reserve before the holiday break.
The injury was sustained last weekend against Pittsburgh and a recent report suggested that the worst-case scenario had been avoided which appears to be the case with no surgery being required. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels clarifies (Twitter link) that the listed recovery timeline is back from the date of injury, meaning he has already missed one of the four to six weeks.
The 29-year-old has played in 34 games this season and has been fairly quiet offensively, managing just five goals and five assists despite logging over 15 minutes per game of ice time. This comes on the heels of a career-best effort offensively in 2024-25 that saw him collect 13 goals and 23 helpers.
Evans has spent this season in a checking role with higher expectations in the defensive zone following the departure of Christian Dvorak to Philadelphia in free agency over the summer. Phillip Danault was brought in last week to help in that regard but instead, it’ll be a while yet before the two checking centers get to play together.
Montembeault Recalled From Conditioning Stint
- As expected, the Canadiens announced (Twitter link) have recalled goaltender Sam Montembeault from his conditioning stint. The 29-year-old has struggled this season, posting a 3.65 GAA with a .857 SV% in 15 appearances, resulting in a demotion to third-string status after Jacob Fowler was recalled. Montembeault played in two games while on assignment, turning aside 47 of 52 shots in a pair of losses to Cleveland.
Injury For Evans Isn't Worst-Case Scenario
While the Canadiens have not provided an injury update on Jake Evans after he was injured on Saturday against Pittsburgh in a knee-on-knee collision, it appears they’ve avoided the worst-case scenario, according to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. However, he could still be facing somewhat of an extended absence. In the first season of a four-year, $11.4MM contract signed near the trade deadline last season, the veteran has seen his production taper off as he has five goals and five assists through 34 games. He had been playing a big role defensively although the addition of Phillip Danault last week was in part intended to give him some help on that front. Instead, it’ll be a while before Montreal gets to have both of them on the ice but it appears that Evans’ injury could have been much worse than it was.
Canadiens Sign Bryce Pickford To Entry-Level Contract
12/24: The Canadiens have made Pickford’s entry-level contract official. It will formally begin in 2026-27. He could move to the AHL as soon as next season, with his 20th birthday coming in April. For now, Pickford will try to use this Christmas Eve gift as motivation to win another championship in Medicine Hat.
12/23: The Montreal Canadiens are approaching an agreement on an entry-level contract with defense prospect Bryce Pickford per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels. This news comes on the heels of a serious hot streak for Pickford. He is in the midst of a six-game goal streak and eight-game point streak with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. That featured a run of five consecutive games where Pickford scored the game-winning goals. Now, with Medicine Hat on a 10-day break for the holidays, Pickford could land his first pro contract.
Pickford, the 81st-overall pick in the 2025 draft, is among the most unique prospects in hockey. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound defenseman has racked up 25 goals, 44 points, and 37 penalty minutes in 31 games this season, while serving as Medicine Hat’s captain. He generates break-ins, shots, and scoring chances at an unrivaled rate for a defenseman – especially one who still makes a physical impact in the defensive end. His one-on-one defense and positioning leave a bit to be desired, keeping Pickford from being a full 200-foot star consistently, but his explosivity has been hard to stop on a strong Tigers lineup.
Pickford’s offense, next to star prospect Gavin McKenna, helped propel Medicine Hat to the WHL Championship and a Memorial Cup Final loss last season. He scored 13 goals and 24 points in 18 playoff games. Pickford also went to Memorial Cup with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2022-23, his first year in the WHL, but only scored three points in 17 playoff games. In total, he has racked up 153 points in 243 WHL games between the regular and post seasons.
Many debate Pickford’s upside. He has the frame, jump, and shooting to take over offense but concerns about his skating and defense kept him from being drafted in 2024, his first year of eligiblity. An entry-level contract will serve as a nice bode of confidence from Montreal’s brass in the midst of another strong season.