Was Johnathan Kovacevic the wrong trade piece?

The Montreal Canadiens needed to make some space on their blue line. This offseason, they had 12 defensemen who could play at the NHL level. Johnathan Kovacevic was the first domino to fall, which made sense early. Kovacevic was a 27-year-old defenseman who didn't fit with Montreal's plans. The Canadiens would be contending when he was exiting his prime and there were no guarantees he'd be a fixture in the lineup. The Canadiens had other right-shot defensemen who were younger and had higher ceilings.

Justin Barron was one reason the Canadiens sent Kovacevic to the New Jersey Devils. Montreal wanted to open up a spot for Barron to play full-time, which has happened with him playing each game this season. Barron's performances have come with negative thoughts about the player, as he doesn't look like someone who can be a full-time NHLer through five games. Barron has plenty of upside, but Logan Mailloux's recent call-up is a wake-up call for the Maritimer. Mailloux is there to fill in for the injured blue-liners, but that doesn't mean he won't stick around and steal someone's spot when they are healthy.

Kovacevic started his Devils' tenure with a bang, tallying one goal and one assist in the NHL's Global Series. It was a welcome sight for the Devils as they contended with the early season injury to Luke Hughes. Kovacevic played 20:29 in the first game, the first of five games where he played 20+ minutes. He has added three more assists to get his total to one goal and four assists. Kovacevic is on pace for 59 points in 82 games, which would destroy his previous career-high of 15. He was a reliable player for the Canadiens in the past two seasons, but he had just 28 points in 139 games.

We won't confirm that the Kovacevic trade was a loss for the Canadiens. We would need to see Kovacevic maintain this form for the entire season to think about that. It'd also have to be a disaster of a season for Justin Barron. Other factors went into the Kovacevic trade, but it was essentially a roster-opening move for Barron and Mailloux. If Barron loses his spot permanently and Kovacevic continues to shine, it'll be disappointing for the Canadiens front office.

Barron has shown signs of turning it around. He scored his first goal of the season in the 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, and he looked more comfortable in being a puck-mover. Barron's flaw is in his defensive play, and it's something he must work on. At a certain point, the positives of his offensive contributions won't outweigh his defensive liabilities.