Norman Flynn is back at it again, this time about Kaiden Guhle...
Kaiden Guhle is undoubtedly one of the players who have attracted the most attention since the beginning of the Habs' rookie camp. Touted for his toughness, mobility and mature play, the 19-year-old defenseman is showing the entire province why the Canadiens selected him with the 16th overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Guhle is often compared to current Habs captain Shea Weber because of his physical play and tendency to break down players who have the audacity to get close to his goalie. However, he is considered to have a much better skating stroke and offensive instincts than number 6.
Analyst Norman Flynn, on the other hand, made a somewhat questionable comparison for Kaiden Guhle. On 91.9 Sports, Flynn compared the Habs' young left-handed back to a modern version of Hal Gill, who himself had worn the Red, White, and Blue uniform between 2009 and 2012.
For those who don't remember, Gill is a giant defenseman who has long been feared around the league for his toughness. On that point, there might be a connection to be made with Guhle, but to compare this promising young prospect to a former defenseman with less offensive contribution and almost no mobility, I don't totally agree.
Without taking anything away from Hal Gill's career, who still played in 1108 NHL games and won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009, his game is nothing like Guhle's. In my opinion, it would be a bit like comparing Brady Tkachuk, an extremely talented power-forward who can score a ton of goals, to Chris Nilan, for example.
In short, time will tell if this comparison will prove to be justified or if Kaiden Guhle will become the player that the Canadiens staff saw in him when they made the decision to bet on him. But for now, we can doubt his consistency.
