Bad news about to be announced for Kaiden Guhle? A former member of the Canadiens organization believes he might have to play with Gustav Lindstrom

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Elias Edmonson
August 25, 2023 (5:30 PM)

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A few days ago, the Canadiens traded defenseman Jeff Petry to the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for young defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional fourth-round pick.

Although the return might seem weak at first glance, the person who acquired him sees things differently. When Kent Hughes was asked about his new acquisition, he had rather complimentary words for the young defenseman and believes that Lindstrom has not yet reached his full potential.

"Our scouts like him; they think he's a very intelligent defenseman who moves the puck well and still has a lot of room for growth in his game. The figure they gave me is that he's at 70% of his real potential."

This bodes well for the future, and Hughes isn't the only one to notice that Lindstrom's potential is bigger than most think, as a former Canadiens scout also chimed in.

We had mentioned in an article a few days ago that Grant McCagg had said during his appearance on the The Sick Podcast with host Tony Marinaro, that the Canadiens' new defenseman would break into the top 4 on defense for the 2023-2024 season.

However, McCagg might have identified the defenseman with whom Gustav Lindstrom could potentially start the season.

"I think he'll play with Mike Matheson or Kaiden Guhle on the second pair. He will play with a much better partner than in Detroit, where he played with Robert Hagg. Coupled with the fact that he will have more playing time, it will certainly help him. I think Lindstrom will improve his offensive output next year."

Lindstrom on the same pair as Michael Matheson or Kaiden Guhle?

As for Matheson, it could be a good bet because he is considered, along with David Savard, to be an experienced defenseman in this young defensive core and he could very well mentor the young Swedish defenseman.

However, I have some reservations about pairing him with Kaiden Guhle, who will only be in his second season in the NHL and together, they had a resounding +/- differential of -35 last year.

This could be bad news for Guhle and potentially harmful for him.

In that case, the Canadiens' new acquisition might feel more comfortable playing with a veteran like Matheson.

That said, it will be interesting to follow the Canadiens' upcoming training camp, which is just around the corner, and see if we will be pleasantly surprised with Gustav Lindstrom's performance in this young defensive core.

Credit : Marqueur.com

POLL
In your opinion, with which defenseman is Gustav Lindstrom most likely to play at the beginning of the season?
Michael Matheson	175	29.7 %
Kaiden Guhle	110	18.6 %
Other	128	21.7 %
He will not play more than 10 games in MTL	177	30 %
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