Canadiens 2025-26 Player Previews: Jayden Struble

In 56 games last season, Struble scored two goals and 13 points and looked comfortable playing in the NHL. He was rarely caught out of position, even when the pace of the game picked up down the stretch in anticipation (or in the chase) of a playoff berth. For the 6-foot, 207-pound left-handed shot, it’s not about making a highlight reel end-to-end rush or landing big hits; it’s about consistency. And for the most part, when he was in the lineup, that’s what he brought.  

Struble played most of his minutes alongside Lane Hutson; the pair were very effective together and put up solid advanced statistics. On the ice together, they had a high Corsi for percentage (56.2%) and an impressive expected goals for percentage (59.77%). Struble’s role is to cover for Hutson defensively, allowing his partner to take a little more risk, knowing he has someone covering for him and buying time for him to hustle back into his defensive position in time. It helped that Struble was comfortable playing on his off wing, as he had in college, playing on the right side. 

He also played a lot of minutes on the third pairing, in a shutdown role with David Savard or Arber Xhekaj. His advanced statistics with the now-retired Savard were not that good. But with Xhekaj, their advanced numbers rivalled those with Hutson. Together, they had a Corsi for of 54.75% and an expected goals for of 50.6%. All told, Struble had a solid sophomore campaign in 2024-25. 

Struble’s 2025-26 Expectations 

Struble signed a two-year contract extension this summer that will pay the 23-year-old $1.412 million per season. Yet he knows competition will be fierce heading into training camp. With Noah Dobson joining the team via a trade with the New York Islanders this summer, the top four pairings are pencilled in. Fans are expecting Struble to compete directly with Xhekaj for a third pairing role, and that could be the case.  

It will be up to the Northeastern Huskies product to show he belongs, not only at even strength but also on the penalty kill (PK). With the departure of many of the Canadiens’ top penalty killers, Kaiden Guhle is left to anchor the second unit, a role he took on last season. This opens the door for Struble to earn more ice time with a permanent role on the PK, which could also cement his role on the third pairing. Xhekaj’s physicality offers a significant upside at even strength; however, Struble’s ability to play both the left and right sides, along with his consistency and capacity to play a disciplined yet physical game, will make him difficult to outperform at five-on-five and on the PK.  

But there is another avenue available for Struble to make the opening-night roster: his partnership with Hutson. He is a mobile, physical defenseman who can contribute on the penalty kill. But he also has some upside to become a reliable, complementary second-pairing defenseman, which is what made him an effective partner for the Calder Trophy winner.

Struble’s skill set complements that of Hutson’s, so it may be a good fit to allow that pair to continue to play together in 2025-26, especially considering the available right-handed defenders. Dobson will be on a top pair, and Alexandre Carrier is a very capable second-pairing defender, but with Hutson, would make an undersized duo that could be out-muscled by a physical top-six forward line. 

Nothing is guaranteed. Struble will need to fight for his place in training camp, especially with a wave of young defencemen knocking on the door. It will come down to whether or not he can continue to play consistently reliable defence in 2025-26.