​The Montreal Canadiens are pretty high on Kaiden Guhle; that much was obvious when GM Kent Hughes signed him to a six-year contract with a $ 5.55 million cap hit in the summer of 2024, a year before his ELC expired. The former 16th overall pick at the 2020 draft gave the Habs every reason to be with his solid play and timely hits, but since signing the contract after a 22-point and 56 penalty minutes season, things haven’t exactly gone according to plan since then. He was limited to just 55 games in the 2024-25 season after missing the start of training camp to have his appendix removed and then suffering a freak accident on the ice when his quadriceps was lacerated. Then, last year, he dealt with a partially torn adductor muscle, which required surgery and ended up playing just 39 games. That’s only 94 games in two seasons, and it’s not nearly enough for a player the Canadiens have committed to long-term. Canadiens Report Card Defensemen EditionFormer Canadiens Winger Had His Day With The Stanley CupOne Aspect Of NHL Scheduling May Favour the CanadiensWhen he came back after the adductor muscle surgery, he admitted that he found it hard to find his rhythm, which shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. Playing catch-up with a league full of players who have been playing day in, day out since mid-October in January is no easy task. Then, in the later stages of the season, he was clearly struggling with an ailment, missing three of the last five games of the regular season. Fast forward a few weeks, and it was obvious that he was labouring against the Carolina Hurricanes. Now entering the second year of his six-year deal, Guhle has to find a way to stay healthy. When he’s on the ball and has his rhythm, he can be a difference-maker for the Habs. Cole Caufield once said, when asked what Guhle did for the team, that he “buried people,” and that’s not far off the truth. When he’s at full health, he can have a big impact on the game. If the Canadiens are to find success in the playoffs, they need Guhle to be at his best. There’s no doubt that the Albertan will have worked relentlessly this summer to get his body ready for the gruelling task that is an 84-game regular season; the question is, however, will Lady Luck be on his side? That’s the one thing Guhle cannot control and the one thing that has prevented him from reaching his full potential. We’ve had a glimpse of what he can do; now it’s time to see him do it consistently. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.  Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens’ page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens’ roundtable on The Hockey News.