Pierre LeBrun Confirms the Montreal Canadiens' Trade Plans After Kaiden Guhle's Scary Injury
The insider Pierre LeBrun confirmed the Montreal Canadiens' trade plans after Kaiden Guhle's scary injury.
Kaiden Guhle suddenly left last Tuesday's game against the Winnipeg Jets in the third period after a scary collision with the boards.
Later, the Montreal Canadiens confirmed that the standout defenseman would be away for an indefinite period after getting surgery to repair a lacerated quadriceps muscle, a terrible update for Habs fans.
Guhle played an important role at Montreal's blue line, playing big minutes against the opponent's top lines.
Many rumors slowly emerged suggesting that Kent Hughes, the Habs' general manager, should try to replace him using the trade market.
In a new update, TSN's insider Pierre LeBrun confirmed the Canadiens' plans: they won't add a rental defenseman to replace Guhle this season.
Here's what he said:
"It really doesn't. The bigger picture still trumps all for the Montreal Canadiens. It's a brutal injury, that will hurt their chances of trying to make the playoffs.
But the reality is, they're going to stay with their current plan, which is they're not going to go out and try and replace Guhle with a rental defenseman and pay the rental prices.
To salvage the season that way, the Habs have had discussions with teams - the kind of trade that they would make, and that was even before this injury - would be the kind of trade they would do in June or July, i.e., a bigger impact deal, that can help this team beyond this season. That's really their focus.
Having said that their version of being buyers would be staying in the race between now on March 7, and keeping a lot of their pending UFAS, as Darren Drager once coined it - 'their own rentals', that would be their version of buying."
But the reality is, they're going to stay with their current plan, which is they're not going to go out and try and replace Guhle with a rental defenseman and pay the rental prices.
To salvage the season that way, the Habs have had discussions with teams - the kind of trade that they would make, and that was even before this injury - would be the kind of trade they would do in June or July, i.e., a bigger impact deal, that can help this team beyond this season. That's really their focus.
Having said that their version of being buyers would be staying in the race between now on March 7, and keeping a lot of their pending UFAS, as Darren Drager once coined it - 'their own rentals', that would be their version of buying."
Listen to his full intervention here:
After four straight losses, the Canadiens will look to bounce back Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks.
They will definitely be among the teams to follow ahead of this year's deadline.
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