Kaiden Guhle
There’s quite the drop off in evaluations from Jake Sanderson to the next defensemen, but there is an insane amount of defensive talent with a 1st-round grade. One of the most intriguing of this entire draft is Kaiden Guhle.
Guhle comes into the draft took that step on the scoreboard you want to see in his draft year. He went from 17 points to 40 points for the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. His team was getting ready to be the top team in the East Division, and the playoffs would have been a fun test. After Guhle wasn’t able to make the World Juniors team for Canada (it was just insanely stacked this season), we really wanted to see what this new-look Guhle would do in the playoffs. Now, we have to go by the talent we see. What kind of player could we see Guhle becoming?
His Ceiling:
Guhle’s measurables are off the chart. He’s 6’3, and around 190 lbs. You can put his skating up against anyone in the draft, forward or defense. He can attack a team on the forecheck and then steal the puck and deke them out of their skates, seemingly all in one motion. This kid could turn into one heck of a defenseman, and it might not take that long.
Honestly, his ceiling is becoming the best defenseman in this draft. No offense to Jamie Drysdale, but we said before he’s not a sure thing. Guhle is far from it as well, but his ceiling is as high as you can go. He made a 23-point jump, and analysts believe he’s far from done.
It’s rare for a teenager to get a lot more defensive responsibility, and get this much better. The one place that can really develop is his shot. It’s already a rocket, but putting him in the same space as P.K. Subban could turn him into one of the better defenseman in the league if he eventually takes him under his wing. It’s rare a player who can play both sides of the ice like Guhle falls past ten, but the Devils might not let him get there.
His Floor:
We really like Guhle, and think he is going to be a really good player. That being said, we are fully aware of the risk that comes with drafting Guhle so high. The real issue here is Guhle took major steps in his draft year, and we’ve seen players go all out to get higher in the draft, but take a step back once it happens.
His offense seems to have a shorter trajectory than his defensive play. We saw some of his offensive upside this season, but can it get much better than this? He doesn’t seem like the kind of player that’s spending much time on the power play in the NHL.
Guhle’s biggest issue is his decision making. Not something you want to hear from a player who could possibly go in the top 10 but will almost definitely go in the top 15. There are times where he’ll make a pass that seems forced, and the other team steals it. Other times, he goes for a massive hit and he just misses. His floor is a mistake-prone player who always seems like he’s one year away.