Kaiden Guhle Undergoes Appendix Surgery
On Monday, the Habs were declared fully healthy heading into training camp aside from Rafael Harvey-Pinard’s offseason training injury. That didn’t last for long, however, as the team announced Thursday that Kaiden Guhle had his appendix removed and will be reevaluated in seven days.
This season projects to be a big one for Guhle. He noted on Monday that he spent a lot of time working on right-side drills over the summer, a sign that he’s been told he’s likely to remain on the top pairing with Mike Matheson heading into the year.
Guhle had six goals and 16 assists in 70 games last season along with 178 blocked shots and 116 hits in nearly 21 minutes a night. If he winds up on the top pairing often in 2024-25, those numbers could very well go up this season.
The minimum of a seven-day absence should keep Guhle out of the first half of preseason games with the exhibition schedule kicking off Monday with a three-in-four stretch. If he’s out a little longer than that, it’s possible that he might be limited to just a single preseason appearance, that being the October 5th game against Ottawa. While his spot on the team is more than secure – especially after signing a six-year extension two months ago – it’s fair to suggest both he and the Habs would have preferred he had more of a normal run-up to the season.
In the meantime, Guhle’s absence should open up a bigger role for Justin Barron, Logan Mailloux, and David Reinbacher as they jockey for a spot in the opening night lineup with David Savard being the only other sure bet on the right side of the back end.