The 2024 year was supposed to be different for the Montreal Canadiens. They believed their rebuild was starting to end, and they wondered whether 2024 would end with them looking ahead to a run at the playoffs in 2025. The year ended with a string of wins that elevated them to sixth place in the Atlantic Division, but they are still seven points behind in a playoff race. This series will examine how each player performed over the 2024 calendar year. Next up is up-and-coming defender Logan Mailloux.
Mailloux's arrival in the Montreal organization has been well-documented. We don't need to go into it, but it has been a long road from many fans not wanting him part of the organization to him being the next defender in line to play full-time in the NHL. Mailloux took the American Hockey League by storm in at the start of 2024, which led to him getting a game with the Canadiens at the end of the season. It would have been hard to believe that Mailloux would play an NHL game at the start of 2024.
The Canadiens got Mailloux back into the fold early in the 2024-25 season, and he recorded three points in five games. The numbers game caught up to Mailloux and they sent him back to Laval, but its only a matter of time before he is in Montreal to stay. It may not happen in 2025, but there's a chance the Canadiens deal David Savard at the deadline to make some room.
Mailloux started the year with Laval on fire but has been struggling to produce offensively lately. It's part of Pascal Vincent's development strategy for him, which is emphasizing his defensive game to make him a more well-rounded player. Decisions like that are why the Canadiens brought in a developmental-minded coach like Vincent, and it will pay dividends if he can make Mailloux a star.
There was nowhere to go but up for Mailloux entering 2024, but as the calendar flips to 2025, even he couldn't predict the trajectory his career would be on. It's funny how much a player's outlook can change over 365 days, but for Mailloux, he feels like a different player in the eyes of the organization and fanbase.