Canadiens’ Kaiden Guhle to miss 4-6 weeks; Laine, Dach out day-to-day

It appears that the Montreal Canadiens are going to be dealing with several injuries this weekend.

The Canadiens announced on Saturday that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will miss the next four-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury, while center Kirby Dach and winger Patrik Laine are out on a day-to-day basis with lower-body injuries.

Guhle likely sustained his injury during Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators, as he left the ice in discomfort midway through the third period and did not return to the game. His current timeline for return has him missing somewhere around 15-20 games. Jayden Struble is expected to replace Guhle on the top pair with Lane Hutson, while Arber Xhekaj will draw into the lineup for now.

Guhle has one goal and one assist for two points in five games so far this season. He’ll be missed even more for his defensive prowess, as his -0.073 5v5 regularized adjusted plus-minus expected goals against per 60 since 2022-23 is the best among any Habs defenseman.

Dach and Laine are also dealing with lower-body injuries, but are only out on a day-to-day basis. The cause of either player’s injury is not known, as both appeared to be fine during Thursday’s win. Owen Beck has been recalled from the Laval Rocket in response, while Joe Veleno is expected to draw into the lineup to fill the other vacant forward spot.

Dach has had an identical start to the season as Guhle, as he has one goal and one assist for two points in five games as well. Laine has just one assist through five games so far this season.

The Canadiens will look to overcome all of these injuries when they host the New York Rangers on Saturday at 7 p.m. EST. Montreal is currently tied for first in the Atlantic Division with a 4-1-0 record.