The Montreal Canadiens right side of the blue line is up in the air, especially when compared with the left side. Of note there’s a spot wide open in the top four.
At the time being, it seems that David Savard will slot in alongside Kaiden Guhle, but who will partner with Michael Matheson? Johnathan Kovacevic is an option, although I like the way he and Arber Xhekaj play together, they complement each other’s games nicely.
Logan Mailloux’s future is still up in the air, with Gary Bettman’s decision on the 2021 first-round picks future looming. Justin Barron should be ahead of Chris Wideman, and he has some great tools that could translate to a top-four staple. He skates beautifully, he is physical and he has untapped offensive potential, on the other hand, he is prone to defensive miscues and has to clean up that area.
Should he take the next step this season, and cement himself as a top-four right defenseman for the Habs, he could provide a nice option on the second power play. Maybe, he even slots in on some of the penalty-killing duties to help polish his game away from the puck. Barron is an interesting piece and a big part of what the Canadiens are building going forward.
Potential Defence Partner
The line combinations are yet to be determined, but with the way the defence looked last year is any indication, Savard and Guhle will occupy one of the top two pairings. Matheson is the team’s best defenseman at this juncture, and that’s where Barron slots in. While Matheson isn’t a defensive dynamo, I think Barron has more offensive potential than Kovacevic, so I would slot him ahead of Kovy.
I think Barron could learn a lot from Matheson, and both players could grow their defensive games by taking turns covering for one another. On the offensive side, Matheson’s skating is what sets him apart from the rest, his edge work and mind just take over when transitioning the puck into to the offensive zone. Barron could benefit from the attention that Matheson draws, and take advantage of the open ice with either his skating or his quick, accurate release launching a puck on net.
Barron has shown flashes, and I think in 2023-24 that he will take the next step, and show some solid production. I don’t expect him to produce like a top-pair, offensive defenseman, but I’m not going to say whether he is capable of growing to that potential or not. However, Barron has some great qualities and should he put them all together, I think he could score 10 goals, and maybe 25-30 assists.
The offensive side of his game is very intriguing, but he will need to clean up his defensive game, which I’m counting on him to do. A healthy lineup and a clean slate with which to hone his craft should prove to be important for his development into a well-rounded blue liner. The organization saw something in him when he was acquired from the Avalanche, and at such a young age, he still has plenty of time to grow and develop his game.
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