The Montreal Canadiens have suffered a significant setback with the news that defenseman Kaiden Guhle will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks due to a lower-body injury. The announcement came on Saturday, prior to their game against the New York Rangers.

Guhle, 23, sustained the injury during Thursday night's 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre. He appeared to be in discomfort and left the ice midway through the third period, though he remained on the bench.

This injury is a major blow to the Canadiens, as Guhle has been a key part of their blue line this season, averaging almost 20 minutes of ice time per game. Through five games, he has recorded one goal and one assist. His absence will be keenly felt on both ends of the ice.

The Canadiens have also announced that forwards Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine will be out day-to-day with lower-body injuries.

In response to these injuries, the Canadiens have recalled forward Owen Beck from the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) on an emergency basis. Beck has one goal and one assist in three games with Laval this season. Additionally, forward Joe Veleno is expected to make his Canadiens debut, after being a healthy scratch for the first four games. Arber Xhekaj will also return to the lineup, taking Guhle's spot.

Unfortunately, Guhle has struggled with injuries since being drafted by the Canadiens in the first round (16th overall) in 2020. Last season, he underwent an appendectomy during training camp and later missed time with an upper-body injury and a lacerated quadriceps muscle. In his four seasons with the Canadiens, Guhle has missed a total of 77 games. Dach has also faced injury challenges, undergoing knee surgery in each of the past two seasons.

With Guhle out of the lineup, the Canadiens will rely more heavily on Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble. Xhekaj is expected to get the first opportunity to play alongside Lane Hutson.