Logan Mailloux: the reminder I’d been waiting for

I wasn’t looking forward to this reminder.

I’m talking, of course, about the fact that Logan Mailloux, on the evening of his 21st birthday, received a call (from his agent or GM) to tell him that he’d just been recalled by the big club. And that he’ll be playing his first NHL game tonight!

He’ll pocket around 5,000 USD today, compared to 500 when he was in Laval…

On March 14, I mentioned on the Stanley25 podcast that the Canadiens were planning to recall Logan Mailloux to give him at least one game before the end of the season. In the end, it was for the 82nd and final…

“According to what I’ve been told, between now and the end of the season, Logan, if there are no injuries or problems with recall limits, will come and play in Montreal. It’s not a ‘he should’ or ‘maybe he will’, he’s going to come and play with the Habs.”

Except I must confess that I didn’t really believe in this recall for a few days.

The season was coming to an end…

Lane Hutson had signed, and then he’d come along with the big club…

It’s often said that only fools change their minds (Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes aren’t fools)…

But above all, two trustworthy people had told me in recent weeks that Mailloux was playing his worst hockey of the season, notwithstanding the first two weeks of the campaign (when he thought he was “already there”). From March 24 to April 5, Mailloux collected just one point, and also posted a cumulative minus-3 differential.

But you don’t erase a good season with six tougher games (fortunately)… and last weekend, Mailloux was solid: three points in two games.

In short, Logan Mailloux is in town, he deserves it… and he’ll be playing his first game in the show tonight, without even having taken part in a single training session with the big club. Not sure we’d be doing this if the Habs were fighting for a playoff spot (like the Red Wings) today…

Whatever.

I’ve been reading a LOT about Logan Mailloux over the past few weeks. Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to has told me the same thing: his arrival in the pros was a bit chaotic (for a number of reasons), but since then, he’s been a true professional. He’s good on the ice, in the dressing room, with the media, with the coaches, with the fans…

In short, he matured a lot between October and April. So much the better!

He’s doing what he has to do to make progress, and today he’s being rewarded. That’s how it works.

Just because your agent tries to manipulate people (by lying or simply ignoring what’s going on in his client’s life) doesn’t mean that the doors of an NHL locker room will open. Especially not at the Bell Centre!

What will Montreal’s defensive brigade look like tonight?
Yesterday, we were hoping to see Lane Hutson paired with David Savard, and that’s exactly what happened. I think we’ll stick with that pairing tonight.

In my opinion, Mike Matheson is too much of a risk to be paired with Logan Mailloux. I’d rather see Jordan Harris or Jayden Struble alongside Mailloux, even if they aren’t veterans.

It would have been cool to see the Xhekaj – Mailloux pair again, but in Montreal this time… except that Xhekaj currently has his arm in a splint. In fact, I’m told his operation went very well and he’s already recovering very well.

There’s still the option that Kaiden Guhle might be able to play the last game of the season? So we might want to pair him with Logan Mailloux. Guhle – Mailloux would be a well-balanced duo… one that could exist for many years to come in Montreal.

But then again, I wouldn’t hold my breath for tonight.

Justin Barron played a good game and deserves to keep his place in the line-up today. Johnathan Kovacevic could be left out.

The blue line should look like this:

Matheson – Barron/Kovacevic
Hutson – Savard
Harris/Struble/Guhle – Mailloux

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such a young AND talented defensive brigade in Montreal. In the medium/long term, that’s promising. Except that tonight, it could mean a lot of scrambling in the defensive zone… especially against a team still fighting for survival! No problem, losing isn’t a bad thing right now! #Lottery

Will Mailloux, who was drafted in the first round a year before Lane Hutson (in the second round), get as much ice time as Hutson? We’ll see.

Mailloux still managed 47 points in 70 games for Laval this season.

Tonight’s game promises to be an exciting one for fans at the Bell Centre. It’s going to be a change from some winter nights this year…

It’s worth noting that Mailloux will be able to return to the Rocket as early as tomorrow, and will be fresh and available for the weekend‘s important games. Not having to travel will help.

Oh yes, I almost forgot: it’s obvious that Gary Bettman has (finally) given his OK for Logan Mailloux to take part in his league’s activities. It was just a formality.

Extension

In mid-March, Kirby Dach put on his skates in Edmonton. He had completed theoptional (fun and light-hearted) session with the guys before doing his solo session.

On April 1, he was present at the training session that followed the second team photo shoot… wearing a regular vest. But most of all, he trained alone at the other end of the rink…

Then, nothing! Radio silence!

We went from wondering whether he would be able to imitate Christian Dvorak and return to the game before the end of the season (even though his surgeon had originally forbidden it) to wondering about his health and physical condition.

Dach wasn’t with the team on the last trip, and no one on the beat has been talking about him for a few days.

Why is this? According to my information, Dach’s absence is NOT related to his knee injury and is NOT a physical concern. Dach won’t be playing tonight, but he’ll be at 100% throughout the summer. We can therefore expect to see him in top form at the next training camp.

If we’re lucky, we might even get a chance to talk to him tomorrow during locker emptying…