Dilemma on Defence
June 23, 2024
By Bob Trask
Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes faces some difficult decisions regarding how he will structure the team’s defence for the upcoming season. Fans on social media are clamouring for the immediate insertion of Lane Hutson into the lineup but even without including him, the Canadiens have more bodies than spots available. The left side includes Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble. Of the five, only Xhekaj and Struble are not waiver-eligible. The candidates for the right side are David Savard, Justin Barron and Jonathan Kovacevic, all of whom would have to clear waivers. It seems highly unlikely that Xhekaj would be relegated to the minors again, regardless of his waiver status and Struble also looks like a player who has earned an NHL spot. If Hutson is added into the mix, there would be nine defencemen fighting for seven spots on the team. And that is without considering AHL all-star Logan Mailloux. Each of these players brings something different to the team from offence, to shutdown skills, power play skills, penalty killing skills, the ability to transition, and/or a physical element. Contract values may also be a factor in any decision that Hughes makes. One thing seems certain, however, and that is that at least one defenceman will be moved before the start of the next season. The questions are who will it be and what will any transaction look like? – Trask