(Las Vegas, Nevada) Kaiden Guhle will not face the Vegas Golden Knights this Sunday.
The defenseman appeared to injure his arm or shoulder on the right side Friday night in the first period of the matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. Maxime Comtois served him what appears to be a routine check, but Guhle winced in pain afterwards. However, he remained in the game.
At the end of the evening, he was not made available to meet the journalists, since he had to undergo treatment. His “upper body” injury, which is not very serious according to Martin St-Louis, will be reassessed daily.
To replace him, the Canadian therefore urgently recalled defender Frédéric Allard.
The latter had been acquired by the Canadian on Friday in return for Nate Schnarr and was to join the Laval Rocket during the weekend. Since he’s only played one career NHL game, presumably he wouldn’t necessarily have been at the top of the recall list had the team been in Montreal.
However, since he was playing until recently with the Reign of Ontario, in the suburbs of Los Angeles, and that he was still on the west coast, it was much easier to send him to Vegas, since the Rocket played Laval Saturday night.
In the American League, this season, the right-handed defenseman has amassed 7 points in 35 games and maintained a differential of 0.
Martin St-Louis indicated, roughly speaking, to know nothing about his new player. In a scrum two hours before the match, he said he didn’t know who his partner would be or what use he would make of them.
Jake Allen will defend the CH net. The meeting between the Canadiens and the Golden Knights will begin at 6 p.m., Quebec time.
Quick’s debut
This duel will also mark the debut of Jonathan Quick in the black and gold uniform.
After spending 15 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, winning the Stanley Cup twice along the way, the goaltender has been involved in two trades in the past week alone. The Kings first shipped him to Columbus with a first-round pick for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. Then the Blue Jackets, obviously wanting to accommodate the veteran, traded him to the Knights for goaltender Michael Hutchinson and a seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft.
With his goals-against-average of 3.50 and his efficiency rate of .876 this season, Quick probably no longer has the fire of his good years. However, the Knights are in bad shape in front of the net. Their starting keeper suffered a leg injury a month ago, and his return date is still unclear. His deputy Laurent Brossoit has also fallen in battle in recent days. And Robin Lehner hasn’t played all season due to a hip injury.
In an interview on Saturday, Quick recounted how the last few days had been “chaotic” for him. He said he was “grateful” to Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen for being understanding in saving him from finishing what may be his last NHL season at a bottom-place club.
“I didn’t want it to be the end,” he told Montreal reporters who covered his team’s practice.
Although this will be the first time the 37-year-old goaltender will wear a different uniform than the Kings, “my jobis to stop pucks and give my team a chance to win,” he said. He says he is thrilled at the idea of this new start, however late it may be. Against the Canadian, he will actually be available for a second game, after watching Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils from the end of the bench.
He carefully observed the interactions between his new teammates and was impressed with the “ton of leaders” within the group. He wants to integrate smoothly, while sharing his extensive experience. “I will help as best I can,” he said smiling.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy was realistic about his new goaltender. “We know where he is in his career, we will not ask him to be our number 1, he admitted. However, he believes that Quick is still in a position to lend a good helping hand to his troop – his 11 victories this season in Los Angeles bear witness to this.
Cassidy also indicated that Quebecer William Carrier, who was injured on Friday, should be absent for “a good while”, without however specifying the nature of his injury.