The Montreal Canadiens continued to follow their recent trend of getting their young players locked up with the six-year, $33.3 million contract extension for defenseman Kaiden Guhle on Wednesday.
Under Team President Jeff Gorton and GM Kent Hughes, the Habs have been proactive in getting Cole Caufield and 2022 top pick Juraj Slafkovsky signed to long-term extensions for a team-friendly amount.
The 22-year-old Guhle is a good young blueliner who the Habs drafted 16th overall in 2020, but with just 114 games of NHL experience under his belt, Gorton and Hughes are gambling that he will produce significantly better than the 22 points he put up in his first full NHL campaign last season.
This deal is also following what other teams are doing by extending defensemen who they project as top-four caliber before the end of their entry-level contracts, but in the case of Guhle, this deal could be more reflective of the fact that Montreal is having a difficult time attracting free agents.
While Atlantic Division rivals Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo made upgrades to improve their playoff prospects, Montreal did nothing, which has everyone projecting the Habs to finish in eighth place.
The Canadiens have an extremely passionate fanbase and after missing the postseason three straight years and with the likelihood of being on the outside looking in next season, one has to wonder whether they will continue to be patient.
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