"20 games minimum for this AHL player" - NHL fans react as Montreal's Kaiden Guhle faces hearing for slashing Travis Konecny

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle finds himself under scrutiny as the NHL announced that he will face a hearing with the department of player safety on Friday.

This comes in the wake of an incident during Thursday's match against the Philadelphia Flyers in which Guhle was accused of slashing Travis Konecny. Despite the altercation occurring in the Canadiens' 4-1 victory over the Flyers, Guhle was not penalized during the game.

However, his actions on the ice against Konecny have now come into question, potentially putting his future games in jeopardy pending the outcome of the hearing.

NHL Player Safety took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the impending hearing, stating,

"Montreal’s Kaiden Guhle will have a hearing today for slashing Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny."

One fan expressed a stern stance, asserting,

"20 games minimum for this AHL player"

Another fan echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the severity of the incident, stating,

"Yeah you can’t do that. I hope he’s going to be suspended for that, can’t let it slide. I don’t know when it happened, but my feeling is that he’s done it after getting trucked by Konecny. You just take the number and get him back cleanly later in the game. TK did his job well."

However, amidst the criticism, there were also voices of skepticism regarding the severity of Konecny's reaction. One fan speculated,

"Konecny selling it hard. he was on the bench though. That's the only reason I can see this even being looked at"

Meanwhile, another fan took a more cynical view, suggesting potential financial repercussions for Guhle, stating,

"He'll probably get a 1 million dollar raise"

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle's strong season amid playoff push

In his second NHL season with the Montreal Canadiens, defenseman Kaiden Guhle has demonstrated a robust defensive game, tallying six goals, 15 assists, and 177 blocked shots in 68 games.

Hailing from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Guhle was drafted 16th overall by Montreal in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Before his NHL career, he excelled in junior hockey with the Prince Albert Raiders and Edmonton Oil Kings, winning a WHL championship with the latter.

Despite Guhle's valuable contributions, the Canadiens, currently eighth in the Atlantic Division with a 28-31-12 record, face uncertainty as they prepare to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.

With a 7.6% chance, Montreal eyes the sixth spot in the NHL draft lottery, hoping for a favorable outcome in the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft.