Free washer | Jayden Struble mixes up the cards in defense

Before leaving for the holiday break, defender Jayden Struble was a pleasant surprise for the Canadian, but in a still limited role.

Struble played on the third pair with Johnathan Kovacevic, generally against the opposing third or fourth lines, and could be used between 10 and 14 minutes per game.

With Kaiden Guhle’s recent decline, Struble has gained ground. He now forms with Jordan Harris, back for six games and now stationed on the right, the second pair in defense. Struble played a career-high 20:28 on Saturday against the Rangers. He played in overtime, unlike Harris and Justin Barron. He is the most used defender recently after Mike Matheson and David Savard.

This time last year, Struble, 22, was playing at Northeastern in the NCAA. He posted modest offensive statistics, with 12 points, including only 1 goal, in 31 games. The management of the CH had not yet decided whether we were going to offer him a contract or not.

Struble finally accepted an agreement with the American League in order to finish the season with the Laval Rocket, unlike young forward Sean Farrell, who was promoted directly to the NHL after his season at Harvard.

This young man was not in the plans this season either. He was cut early in training camp, along with defensemen Tobie Bisson, Oliver Galipeau, Stanislav Demin, Noah Laaouan, Christopher Ortiz and Miguël Tourigny. The final four play in the ECHL.

Bad tongues often repeated about this second round pick in 2019 that he had everything to please the GM at the time, Marc Bergevin, because of his advantageous physique and biceps almost as big as those of his boss and his right-hand man Trevor Timmins, two cast iron enthusiasts.

However, Struble is much more than a greek god, joke he was given before his arrival in Montreal. The sample remains thin with only around twenty games under the clock, and Struble will not be your number one defender as you hoped for, but he stands out for his mobility, his intelligence, his robustness and great mobility. Kind of a hybrid of Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj.

You will have to make room

In an optimistic scenario, Struble would be a solid long-term fourth defender, reliable defensively, with the perfect size and playing style for the playoffs. Even if he continues to progress, Struble will not revolutionize the CH, but he could nevertheless obstruct an additional place on the left side of the defense.

You now have Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle and Struble on the left. Harris, a left-hander, is employed on the right. Arber Xhekaj, a regular in Montreal last year, is now continuing his apprenticeship in the American League in the first defense pair with Logan Mailloux.

Xhekaj, 22 years old, 6 feet 4 inches, 240 pounds, already one of the most feared brawlers in professional hockey, amassed ten points in twelve games in Laval, with a +3 record. His presence had a positive effect on Mailloux. He has obtained ten points in his last eleven meetings, and a record of +5. He had 10 points in his first 21 games and a record of -12.

In a surprising statement to colleague Arpon Basu of The Athletic, Rocket coach Jean-François Houle not only praised Xhekaj’s offensive skills, but suggested they could even be superior to that of Justin Barron.

So there is already no room for Xhekaj. And another left-handed defender, Lane Hutson, brilliant at the World Junior Championship, will arrive at the end of March, beginning of April. A player of this caliber will not accept an offer from the American League. He will have to be offered an NHL contract to allow him to complete the first year of his agreement in a few games.

Barring injury, Kent Hughes will have some decisions to make in the short term. Guhle, Harris and Struble can still be demoted to the American League without being subject to waivers. Just like right-hander Justin Barron, even if it means moving Guhle to the right, as we did last year.

Adam Engström, already a pro in Sweden since 2022, also a left-handed defender, is also knocking on the door. He could join the organization at the end of the season, in Montreal or Laval. Engström, 20, is progressing well in Rögle, in the SHL, with 14 points in 31 games, as part of a second pair (the arrival of giant Lian Bichsel, a first-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2022 [18^e au total]after half a season in the American League, dropped him one place in the hierarchy).

Kent Hughes can still make a trade between now and the March 8 trade deadline. The defense is still too young to trade Mike Matheson, 29, under contract for two more years, unless they receive a stunning offer. We would be doing a disservice to young people by removing from training a defender who works 25 minutes per game. That would put them in a role for which they are not yet ready.

Barring a major surprise, Guhle and Hutson will not be traded. Harris or Struble could bring back a third-round pick, maybe a second. Due to his pugilistic talents – attributes still prized by several general managers – which are added to his offensive skills, and his young age, Xhekaj has a very interesting value on the market. This colossus could easily earn a first-round pick. But will management want to let go of a defender with such unique qualities?

Nothing is forcing Kent Hughes to move either, due to the number of defensemen suitable for a demotion to the minors without risk of losing them. And knowing this hockey man, he will wait for the perfect opportunity to compromise if he has to.

William Nylander hits the jackpot

So, William Nylander, 27, would have accepted 90 million from the Maple Leafs in order to stay eight additional seasons in Toronto. He would become the third Leafs forward to earn an annual salary above 11 million, with Mitch Marner close at 10.9 million. Nylander would become the highest paid player in the NHL annually after Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Artemi Panarin and Auston Matthews.

Nylander ranks fifth in National League scoring behind Nikita Kucherov, MacKinnon, Panarin and David Pastrnak with 54 points in 37 games, en route to a 119-point season, by far his career best. He had 87 points the previous year and 80 points in 2021-22. It’s the market price, but it’s still a lot of money for a club that’s already very generous with its best attackers. At least John Tavares will only have one year left on his contract after this season. Mitch Marner too, but we will undoubtedly try to keep him at all costs.