The Struble contract is both mundane and meaningful

July 30, 2025

On Monday, the Montreal Canadiens avoided arbitration with defenseman Jayden Struble when team and player came to terms on a two-year contract worth $2.825 million.

There is little excitement to find in this deal.

It’s a sensible deal. An obvious outcome. Mundane, run of the mill business. Struble was a restricted free agent defender who will turn 24 before the new season is underway, and has not yet solidified his place on the Canadiens third pair. But Struble is also young and serviceable, and an asset that holds value.

He was never going to break the bank, but he was also never going to be allowed to walk. A two-year deal at market value that still leaves him an RFA at the end is just good business, even if it is mundane.

What does it mean for how the Habs D will line up?

Does this mean the Habs will suddenly feel freer to trade Mike Matheson because they are confident in the left side of their D group with Struble locked in? Definitely not. Struble would have to take massive strides that no one is expecting to replace what Matheson does.

Does the Struble contract, coming in a hair above what the Habs gave Arber Xhekaj last summer, mean they value him over Xhekaj? Also a hard no. The difference is negligible with the higher cap.

What this extension means for how the D line up is that the Habs will likely start this season like they ended last, with Noah Dobson being the giant upgrade over the declining David Savard.

The meaning is likely in the inevitable crossroads approaching.

Of course, the Habs could trade one of Struble or Xhekaj any day. If one of them was required in a package to land a second line centreman, the Habs could make that deal and feel confident they have the depth to replace the departing defender. Adam Engstrom, for one, is waiting in the wings and can play both sides.

If the decision isn’t made for them in this way, the Habs will likely have Xhekaj and Struble competing for the 6D position, with the loser being the extra.

At this juncture, Struble is the better defenseman, but Xhekaj is the intimidator. The future look of the Habs blue line might come down to whether Xhekaj can improve his defensive game more effectively than Struble can improve his intimidation game, or vice versa.

With Xhekaj entering the final year of his current contract, this will likely be the season when the Habs decide which of him or Struble they keep. Both guys know it, and in a few weeks we’ll see who ups his game.

The Struble contract might be as mundane as it gets, but it still has meaning in the bigger picture for the Habs.