Logan Mailloux: NHL scouts think we should “forget about it”

In the coming weeks, Logan Mailloux’s name will be on everyone’s lips. After all, whether it’s against rookies or NHL players, every one of his on-ice appearances will be a test.

His goal? To carve out a place for himself in the NHL.

The door is open (following the transactions of Jordan Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic) for youngsters to take up positions… and if Mailloux performs well, he’ll be part of the discussion. The same goes for Lane Hutson, his partner on the blue line yesterday.

But hey. All this to say that even if Mailloux’s progress has been good over the past two years, when he started playing full seasons again, the fact remains that he still has things to prove.

And not everyone believes he can do it.

As Renaud Lavoie reported this morning on BPM Sports, on the heels of his regular column in Le club du matin, scouts across the league don’t seem to believe in him.

The journalist heard several people tell him that, in the Ontarian’s case, “forget it” and that he won’t be able to play.

Of course, there will always be people who want to see both sides of the coin, and that’s fine. But the problem is when those people say they’ve only seen a few of Mailloux’s games. That’s when the comments lose credibility… even if they come from people in the business.

Some say he’s not as offensive as people think. Others say he has less skating than people think.

But what I’m wondering is whether there’s more to it than that. Are some people hiding behind the excuse of his skating because they don’t think Mailloux has what it takes to succeed in a market like Montreal?

The question must be asked, because on the ice, he really doesn’t look like a defenseman who’s going to miss, we agree.

Overtime

– The Blue Jackets will have to find a way to recover from the Gaudreau tragedy.

Graham Snyder saw the news and reached out to Don Waddell.
He felt it important to make sure the former Thrashers GM felt support.
On two hockey tragedies 21 years apart and the hope again that the hockey world will help in healing. My weekend piece https://t.co/dkBnWXDnpQ

– Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 13, 2024