Montreal Canadiens: Justin Barron should look to benefit power play

The Montreal Canadiens should look forward to seeing what Justin Barron has in store for the 2022-23 season. The young defender is still finding his way in the NHL game after being a first-round draft choice from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.

Last season, Barron was acquired along with a 2024 second-round draft pick in exchange for Artturi Lehkonen when the Montreal Canadiens sold off assets at the trade deadline. After being acquired, he found his way into a handful of games with the Canadiens during 2021-22.

Barron played all of five games with the Habs where he tallied a goal and an assist during that time. He’s still a fresh face in the league and has plenty of room to improve and further develop. For the Habs, the 2022-23 season is a good chance for him to accomplish that.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron can benefit the power play.

For the Montreal Canadiens, finding players starting to settle into the big leagues is going to be necessary for a good season. Barron has the potential to be a high-ceiling performer. After all, he was a first-round selection, so there’s an expectation that he can be a future impact defender for the Habs.

It does not seem unreasonable to think that Barron can be a top-pairing player, even though the more likely reality is that he will end up as a second-pairing type of player. Beyond that, the Canadiens should be hoping that Barron has an upside as a defender who can help out on the power play.

Barron reminds me a bit of like Noah Hanifin. The offense is there, but it will not always jump off the screen. He’s not “flashy” but is talented in the offensive zone. With his abilities to move the puck and create opportunities, there is reason to believe he can get things done on a power play unit.

While he may not be on the top unit, there is reason to believe that as he settles in with the NHL pace and NHL game in 2022-23, he starts to jump into that power play role and get the job done. Plenty to like about a defender who can perform in that type of role.

They should be hoping that he can fit that mold as a puck-moving defender who hangs out at the top of the zone on the power play. While for some defenders, this means ripping shots on net, for Barron, it may be feeding the open man, controlling the puck as the power play unit cycles, or throwing the puck on net with hopes of creating scoring chances.

It’s not going to be about feeding him to rip slap shots, but rather letting him use the puck-moving skills with the hope to get the job done. I like his odds. Even if Barron starts on the second unit or even has to fight for some power-play time, the talent to fit this role appears to be there.

It will take time, and Barron has a learning curve ahead of him. But getting him out there and getting him ice time is only going to help. The Canadiens are in a rebuild, so the pressure to step into the spot and immediately have it figured out is not there.

Barron has the chance to go through the motions and learn as he goes. Plenty to like as the team starts to evaluate what he can bring to the table and aims to develop him into a top-two pairing defenseman.