We have to worry about Justin Barron’s future in the NHL

Justin Barron had an ordinary season.

Very ordinary.

The defenseman played 48 games for the Habs, but also had to take a trip to the AHL to fine-tune his game . That said, the longer this goes on, the more we wonder whether Barron has what it takes to establish himself as a useful player for a National League team.

The right-hander has some nice offensive qualities… But that’s about all.

He has a good first pass and can make an impact when he’s confident and decides to go on the attack. That’s the element of his game that made him successful in junior.

But the problem is, Barron doesn’t excel at anything… And that prompts Anthony Marcotte (BPM Sports) to wonder about the main character:

I have a hard time seeing him in the National League in the long term, because he’s okay everywhere, but he’s not great anywhere either.

Is he a National League player, or an AHL-identified guy on the bubble between the two levels? – Anthony Marcotte

Is Justin Barron a National Hockey League defenseman? Anthony Marcotte really isn’t sure, and he talked about it on Van Houtte Live. Segment: https://t.co/sMxdbSWguQ #Habs #Rocket #Canadiens #LNH #JustinBarron #Hockey pic.twitter.com/YEf2WfTTQ3

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) April 23, 2024

The Habs are full of good young defensemen, but what helps Barron is the fact that he throws from the right.

After all, there isn’t much depth on the right side of the blue line beyond David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux.

That said, Justin Barron needs to have a big summer in order to arrive at the next training camp with confidence.

He needs to improve his defensive game (it’s a work in progress) and he needs to show the organization that he belongs with the big boys, which hasn’t been the case since his arrival in Montreal.

But all in all, the conclusion right now isn’t too hard to draw: we have to worry about his future in the NHL if he isn’t able to improve (quite considerably).

At least he’s still young at 22…

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