Kayden Gohle is skating solo, and Christian Dvorak is in training

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kayden Guhle skated alone for twenty minutes on Friday morning.

The previous day, the organization announced that its skater had suffered an upper-body injury and that his condition would be re-evaluated daily.

The 21-year-old had several shots on target during the short training session.

In the main video: Watch today’s press conference from Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis.

Gohley was injured in Tuesday’s loss to the Minnesota Wild at Bell Center. The 21-year-old’s teammates did not seem too worried about him after Thursday’s training.

“Hopefully we can see him again in two weeks,” fullback Jonathan Kovacevic said.

In 2023-24, Guhle will play his second season in the NHL. CH’s first-round pick (16th overall) in the 2020 draft was limited to 44 games due to an ankle injury last year.

Dvorak in training

Later, veteran Christian Dvorak, who did not participate in the training camp due to knee surgery, went out to the ice for the first time with his teammates, wearing the regular red jersey that allows him contact. The former Arizona Coyotes’ return to play was set in motion last March, and is still undoubtedly planned for November.

Martin St. Louis’s team conducted several exercises aimed at improving its numerical superiority during today’s session.

The coach confirmed in a press conference on the sidelines of the training: “Today and yesterday were working days, on things we need to improve.”

At times, training went sideways, to the point where veteran defender Mike Matheson appeared to get angry on a few occasions.

“These guys are proud, they want to do well, and they are competitive,” St. Louis noted. “I’ve been really frustrated in practice, I know what that’s like.”

Meanwhile, the coach focuses on the process rather than immediate improvement.

“I’m not worried that our power play will improve, I know it will happen,” he said.

“You have to be patient, you have to have a plan, you have to educate, you have to teach (…) ‘The game’ speaks to us, we take the information and try to lead the team in a certain direction,” he also explained.

He then summed up: “The process is more important than the destination, and that is what we focus on.”

The Habs are currently preparing for the Washington Capitals’ visit to Quebec City. Alex Ovechkin and his gang will be in town on Saturday night. Jake Allen will be in front of the Montreal net for the occasion.