Montreal Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron is the victim of shiny-new-toy syndrome… in that he isn’t the new toy in question anymore. Many Habs fans seem prematurely enamored with the idea of fellow-rightie Logan Mailloux joining the defense corps out of training camp instead, despite the fact there isn’t room for both, at least not currently. All things considered, Barron has the inside track over the 2023-24 American Hockey League all-star.
Barron vs. Mailloux
On the surface, that says a lot… only it doesn’t, not really. Barron will, simply put, no longer be exempt from waivers, while Mailloux can still go through, straight to the AHL without issue. While in principle general manager Kent Hughes has taken steps to establish a meritocracy and their respective training camps should dictate who stays generally speaking, there are obviously extenuating circumstances.
Assuming the Canadiens re-sign the restricted free agent, from a sheer asset-management standpoint they shouldn’t risk losing him. Barron undeniably experienced his fair share of ups and downs in 2023-24. That isn’t just literally, in reference to his eventual demotion and subsequent call-up. Consider the fact he made the team out of training camp as an up in and of itself. It shows Hughes and presumably head coach Martin St. Louis see value in his offensive-minded skillset. That he averaged a fourth-ranked 18:38 in ice time in the 48 games he ultimately played (among defensemen), scoring 13 points and a second-ranked seven goals proves he can be a difference-maker, even though his critics might de-emphasize the good to focus on the bad in that respect, i.e., his defensive gaffes leading to goals against.
However, by most accounts, Mailloux suffers the same shortcomings. In fact, they’re very similar in terms of their overall high-risk, high-reward styles of play to the point Barron produced at effectively the same pace Mailloux did in 2023-24 (to earn his all-star status) the previous season with 16 points in 25 AHL games (47 in 72).
Granted, Barron was one year older then, than Mailloux was in 2024-25. However, it goes to show the difference in how they’re seen by fans is unjustified: Mailloux has infinite potential, justifying his immediate promotion, whereas Barron hasn’t lived up to his and has only down the depth chart to go.
Nothing is further from the truth.
Mailloux’s AHL Success May Not Translate Right Away
Barron’s transition to the NHL may not have been seamless. However, ignoring Mailloux’s one-game end-of-season call-up, Barron has at least shown he can contribute at the highest level. Mailloux still has a lot more to prove. If Barron’s critics are so vocal about his weaknesses, it stands to reason over a sustained period of time watching Mailloux at the NHL level, they’d likely come to the same conclusion about him.
If, in their minds, Barron has failed to establish himself up to now, that his waiver status and not his play will force the Canadiens’ hand to keep him up, shouldn’t they see him as a cautionary tale, looking at Mailloux? Considering they play the same position and style? Producing in the AHL doesn’t translate to guaranteed NHL success, as the long list of Eddie Shore Award winners proves. As a result, keeping Mailloux in the AHL to develop further is just plain logical.
That having been said, you obviously can’t keep Mailloux down forever. With him and David Reinbacher on the eventual rise up the depth chart, there’s possibly going to come a point when the Canadiens must make a decision, at least more of a difficult one than trading pending-unrestricted-free-agent Johnathan Kovacevic, which technically opened up a spot of defense. They don’t need to force it, though.
As has been established in a separate piece, Kovacevic’s departure more so opens the door for Jayden Struble to make the permanent jump to the NHL than anything else. However, another way of looking at it is that Struble, who ended his season with the Laval Rocket, had already joined the Canadiens permanently, seeing as he was also on the NHL roster when their season ended, only getting demoted to help the AHL team make the playoffs, because he was still eligible.
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Officially speaking, the trade really opened up a spot for Barron on his and Kovacevic’s right side (as opposed to Struble’s left). It’s as if Hughes, acknowledging he’d no longer be able to send Barron down without exposing him to waivers, pre-emptively awarded him a spot out of training camp. Again, while theoretically that spot should go to whoever earns it, remember Barron made the opening-night roster last season, despite an underwhelming training camp. Why would this season be different? It’s almost as if the Canadiens were pulling for him to take the next step. Everyone should be at this point, because it’s not a matter of either-or between him and Mailloux but rather timing.
It’s Barron’s Time
It’s Barron’s time for all intents and purposes. Granted, he failed to seize an opportunity when David Savard got injured at the start of last season. Ultimately, he couldn’t secure a permanent roster spot then, but it’s a process. With Savard heading to unrestricted free agency himself, another spot should open up soon.
It’s at least possible Reinbacher, Mailloux and Barron make up the team’s entire right side on defense in the not-too-distant future. Patience on the part of fans is required. Rushing defensive prospects to the NHL arguably isn’t going to get them ready any quicker, as Barron himself proves. It’s worth noting Barron is still only going on 23. He’s really only losing the training wheels as we speak. In that regard, he’s no longer “new,” but he’s clearly still got room to grow. If he didn’t, fans wouldn’t be as frustrated as they have been with him, because everyone sees his potential. He may not reach it, but actively hoping Mailloux overtakes him isn’t a recipe for team success.
Who wouldn’t want two offensively inclined, defensively adequate right-handed defensemen, if it’s a possibility? It very much is, as they’ve got the prospective players in hand. They just need to take the proper course of action. It should go without saying, but cutting bait with one of them right out of the gate in 2024-25 isn’t it, especially when they don’t need to.
