Logan Mailloux
Logan Mailloux was one of the more impressive defensemen at Canadiens camp, and his strong play continued through the preseason after he struggled during his first outing, when he admitted he was trying to do too much.
There is definitely some room to improve, and big minutes with lots of reps on the power play is exactly what Mailloux needs to adjust to the professional rankings. He brings a wow factor, and he is naturally very skilled with the puck on his stick, which will be welcomed right away in Montreal, his willingness to use his great shot adds another plus.
He is big and plays a rugged style defensively, he isn’t averse to laying the body and adds another physical piece to the blueline alongside Arber Xhekaj and Kaiden Guhle. He looks like a sure-bet top-four righthanded defender, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran one of the Canadiens’ top two units in the future.
Whether it be alongside Hutson on the top power play, or in a different configuration on the second unit, he has the offensive skill and fantastic mobility to allow him to get around the ice with ease.
He could have leapfrogged Justin Barron and Gustav Lindstrom (who was waived) in the depth chart, and his offensive touch is better than Chris Wideman, who isn’t the greatest in his own zone. There is a place for Mailloux, and I expect that he will play his way into the lineup quite soon.
Maybe it’s after the trade deadline or maybe it’s to start the 2024-25 season, after a year of development down in Laval, but he will bring size, skill and a constant shooting threat in the offensive zone.