Who emerges as a top four guy from the young defenders?

The Montreal Canadiens have had quite the cast of talented young defenseman funnelling through the organization over the past couple of seasons.

But the quality of defenders is set to increase quite significantly over the next couple of seasons. The upcoming season will likely have Lane Hutson playing full-time with the big club. Then there is Logan Mailloux, who has plenty of potential and could arguably find his way into quite a few games this season.

There are also guys like Justin Barron, Jordan Harris and Jayden Struble, who have played for the Canadiens and are all hoping to take another step forward in their development. David Reinbacher also can't be left out of the defenseman conversation, since he was drafted high (fifth overall) with hopes that he can be a pillar for the Habs defence corps for the next eight to 10 seasons at the very least. Arber Xhekaj is also in the mix, and before the 2025-26 season comes to an end, he could be close to securing a permanent top four role.

Destined for the top 4

To me, Harris and Struble are quite talented and could very well become top four defenseman, but I think that there just isn't enough seats in Montreal. Because they don't really standout from the pack because of a skill that nobody else has, they could be overlooked. The same could happen to Barron, because of Mailloux and Reinbacher, who are on the horizon.

From a talent standpoint and presenting something to the club that others don't have, there are two players that stand out from the rest. Basing if just off of the upcoming season, I believe that Hutson and Xhekaj have the highest potential to develop into top four defenders. More so Hutson, because he just has so much skill and poise, that I can't see him playing as a fifth or sixth defenseman for very long.

I think Reinbacher and Mailloux will be in the mix for the 2026-27 season to develop into players who can shoulder top four NHL minutes. But for this upcoming season exclusively, I think that Hutson, then Xhekaj will be the two likeliest options to be called upon to play more. Certainly it wouldn't be wise to rush them, but if they prove able and ready, it could give Kent Hughes some trade bait options.