Heading into the 2022-23 season, most observers expected that the Montreal Canadiens would lean heavily on a trio of veterans on the blue line: David Savard, Mike Matheson, and Joel Edmundson. Injuries to Matheson and Edmundson forced the Habs to ice an opening night lineup with four rookie defencemen, but rather than succumbing to their baptism by fire, Kaiden Guhle, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj, and Johnathan Kovacevic have exceeded all expectations.
As Matheson and Edmundson approached game-readiness, the starting six from opening night had settled neatly into three established pairings: Guhle-Savard, Harris-Kovacevic, and Chris Wideman-Xhekaj. Fitting Matheson and Edmundson into the lineup would require careful disruption of this balance.