Canadiens Defensive Pairings: Hutson and Engstrom Stabilize Blue Line
The Montreal Canadiens have yet to find their rhythm in 2026-27, as their pedestrian 3-3-1 record shows. It’s a complicated situation: the Habs are widely expected to take a major step forward this season after a strong 106-point campaign last year that included a trip to the Eastern Conference Final.
Climbing that next mountain won’t be easy, but several encouraging factors suggest better days ahead. Most notably, the Habs are controlling play at 5v5 far more effectively this season, an improvement that should translate into more wins going forward.
As any hockey fan knows, defensive pairings play a major role in dictating the flow of a game. This has been a traditional area of weakness since Martin St-Louis took over as head coach five years ago.
One of the biggest sticking points in recent years has been the play of Mike Matheson. The oft-maligned defenceman dazzles nightly with his elite skating, but his tendency toward giveaways has produced questionable underlying numbers.
With Matheson sidelined by injury, the Canadiens have deployed several variations of their usual pairings, offering a clear chance to evaluate the adjustments made by St-Louis. For the most part, those changes have produced a considerable uptick in results.
First Pairing
We already knew the Matheson – Noah Dobson was struggling, a continuation of their rough underlying numbers from last season. St-Louis adjusted his top pairing before Matheson’s injury, a clear sign that he recognized the issues as well.
Since inserting phenom Lane Hutson onto the top pairing, the numbers haven’t just improved, they’re already bordering on elite. Hutson and Dobson have controlled more than 60 percent of the shots, high-danger scoring chances, and expected goals at 5v5. While the sample size remains relatively small and the numbers will inevitably fluctuate, there’s no denying that Montreal’s top pair is in far better shape.
NHL Game Score Impact Card for Montréal Canadiens on 2026-10-14: https://t.co/wcYj9qqFqA
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 15, 2026
Instead of being outshot night after night, they’re now dictating the flow of play, exactly what you want from your most-used pairing.
Second Pairing
With Kaiden Guhle’s return to the lineup, the second pairing now features two defencemen who routinely draw more than their fair share of difficult assignments. Historically, both Guhle and Carrier have posted subpar underlying numbers, an expected outcome given the tough matchups they typically face.
Yet in their limited 5v5 ice time (just 32 minutes), they’ve performed well, controlling well over 50 percent of the expected goals. Unfortunately, they’ve been outscored 0-2 at 5v5, leaving them with a poor actual goal share. The underlying numbers, however, strongly suggest this pairing should improve in that area going forward.
It may be the most encouraging second pairing the Habs have deployed in recent years, though a larger sample size will offer clearer insight into their long-term potential.
Third Pairing
The trade that sent Jayden Struble to the Nashville Predators was driven largely by the logjam on the blue line. There simply weren’t enough spots for every defenceman once the music stopped.
To make matters worse, Struble and Arber Xhekaj were struggling badly, controlling fewer than 40 percent of the shots at 5v5. Their high-danger scoring chance share sat at just 28.6 percent, and their expected goal share was a well-below-replacement, at 32.6 percent.
Since the Canadiens inserted youngster Adam Engstrom into the mix, however, the numbers have improved dramatically, directly contradicting much of the criticism circulating on social media.
Some fans are understandably eager to see David Reinbacher in the lineup, and rightfully so, but the evidence shows Engstrom isn’t merely holding his own. He has effectively stabilized the third pairing, which had been sinking fast. He’s still prone to the odd giveaway here and there, but ignoring his impressive impact would be missing the forest for the trees.
Reinbacher will get his opportunity, but it would be unfair to claim Engstrom has been a drag on the team. If anything, he has immediately strengthened one of the Habs’ biggest areas of concern.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
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