Hockey

NHL position in 2025-26: Logan Mailloux’s advantage over David Reinbacher
Félix Forget
NHL position in 2025-26: Logan Mailloux’s advantage over David Reinbacher
Credit: With the retirement of David Savard, the Canadiens have a hole in their defensive brigade. So the club needs to find a way to fill it… and ideally, it would be with a right-handed defenseman. After all, at the moment, only Alexandre Carrier is a right-handed defenseman in Montreal. All the others (Hutson, Matheson, Guhle, […]

With the retirement of David Savard, the Canadiens have a hole in their defensive brigade. So the club needs to find a way to fill it… and ideally, it would be with a right-handed defenseman.

After all, at the moment, only Alexandre Carrier is a right-handed defenseman in Montreal. All the others (Hutson, Matheson, Guhle, Struble and Xhekaj) are left-handed.

The idea of picking one up on the independent market is interesting, but the club also has a few prospects it could graduate. Obviously, David Reinbacher is a popular name, because if his knee can give him a break, he has the potential to be a big part of the club's future.

That said, there's another defenseman who could graduate: Logan Mailloux. We've seen very little of him in the NHL so far, but his defensive game has been lacking.

However, there's one thing that could work in Mailloux's favor if they decide to graduate one of the two kids: the club needs someone with a powerful powerplay shot.

And that's undoubtedly one of the great strengths of Mailloux's game, as he's doing a great job in Laval in this area.

The question, of course, is whether Mailloux's defensive game is good enough for him to hold his own in the NHL. After all, it's David Savard they're looking to replace… and in his case, it's more of a defensive role than an offensive one that he's taken on.

That said, that doesn't mean that whoever replaces Savard will have to be a defensive defenseman. Perhaps the Habs will want to entrust those missions to a Jayden Struble or an Arber Xhekaj next year (I don't expect to see Lane Hutson in that role, let's say), and that could allow a more offensive defenseman, like Mailloux, to take a seat in Montreal.

Especially if the club sees his powerful shot as an answer to a need… and that's even if it's only on the second wave of the powerplay.

So, expect the kids to try and push for a spot next year, and seeing Mailloux have a big series in Laval is sure to get his name back in the picture.

And if the Habs are bored of Shea Weber's good old-fashioned power play, maybe they'll be tempted by Mailloux to plug the gap.


Overtime

– Great read on the Jets.

– We wish them well.

– Huge contract for Brock Purdy with the 49ers.

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