Prospect Info: Logan Mailloux Part 3 The Only Hockey Talk Thread

[Tyson]

At this point I think it's a baked-in flaw with this player and that we'll need to live through the mistakes if he ever makes it to the pros.

Which I don't expect to happen given the severe lack of progress on Mailloux's side this season. I actually think Mailloux regressed defensively this year.

Last year, at least the effort was more consistent defensively on his part. But now he just keeps making the same dumb mistakes, playing angry, and struggling big time against the forecheck.

I thought Mailloux would have learned how to take a check and make a simple play on the boards while sustaining pressure, keeping things simple and clean in his zone by now.

But no, Mailloux handles the cycle and forechecking pressure like I handle the Bruins beating us in a playoff game; badly, if you hadn't already guessed.

"Get yourself drunk out of aggravation and then somehow, someway get defeated by your own impotent rage" type of bad.

So yeah, if Reinbacher ends up becoming a top-4D for us and we manage to acquire another long-term D (with Hutson, Guhle, and Reinbacher) this offseason, it'll be very, very hard for Mailloux to make this Canadiens team at all.

Mailloux has a very offensive-oriented skillset, one that might not work at all when put on a third D pairing expected to regularly PK while also not getting great offensive opportunities nor PP time.

A guy like Xhekaj is a much better fit for third-pairing D than Mailloux, same for Struble, same for Engstrom too given his much better defensive awareness.

Mailloux I think ends up being a Justin Barron for us; a guy that has a lot of tools but fails to put them together for us before we trade him.

We've just arrived at the point of our rebuild when we can't just be patient and hope a young player's problems magically fix themselves. All of which to say that Mailloux may be the first casualty on D of that shift in focus.

Let's talk about Mailloux after the playoffs. He has to make his mark now because there are other D prospects coming.

 

[Kojo]

If he start scoring more goals that would be great, we could overlook his flaws. Only 15 goals in 74 games.

 

[HabzSauce]

Always reminded me of bouchard in the sense he's got elite offensive skills but questionable IQ.

Bouchard has definitely improved in that department over the years. How does the IQ/decision making of rookie bouchard compare to Mailloux?

 

[JeffreyLFC]

I think you could develop Mailloux into a more simple defenseman in the NHL. His size, skating and physicality are all good. He just would need to simplify his game and be more conservative in his approach (try less) and focud on simple highly effective option.

 

[viceroy]

The country club part is over. Time to do some work.

The country club is over? So that mean we unloading Newhook? Struble? You know the Kent Hughes ex-client/buddies?

I wonder if Toews could work as a stopgap 3C?

No. He was cooked like 2 years ago.

Caufield - Suzuki - Demidov
Slafkovsky - 2C - Dach

Who's gonna go dig the puck on that 1st line? Suze? You want him to sharpen everybody's skates too during intermissions?

Toews was the Captain of a team that turned a blind eye away from some nefarious stuff.

So exactly who gets smeared by that brush? Dustin Byfuglien? Patrick Sharp? the United Center zamboni driver?

With Reinbacher, Mailloux, Engstrom, we have too many D men. Mailloux can be traded as a package for a young quality 2C (not the Dach, Newhook experiment).

Engstrom and Struble should be on the block. Excess LD's.

And Ghule, Hutson, Carrier, Struble, Xhekaj and Matheson are with the big club already. That's 6 dmen.

Struble should be traded in the off-season and Matheson at the trade deadline.

We said that last year, since then Harris and Kovacevic got traded.

Trading Kovacevic was one dumb play.

Always reminded me of bouchard in the sense he's got elite offensive skills but questionable IQ.

Bouchard has definitely improved in that department over the years. How does the IQ/decision making of rookie bouchard compare to Mailloux?

Zounds! He's hopefully better than Bouchard in that respect.

 

[habbubba]

He's been looking pretty solid and sure can shoot from the point.Defense is still to be worked on but if the Oilers have survived so far with Bouchard learning on the go,anything is possible.

 

[sampollock]

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Reinbacher replaces Savard in the lineup next season
Mailloux replaces Matheson the season after that

That's how I see it

Eventually:
Hutson - Reinbacher
Guhle - Mailloux
Xhekaj - Struble/Engstrom/Konyushkov

 

[EveryDay]

Reinbacher replaces Savard in the lineup next season
Mailloux replaces Matheson the season after that

That's how I see it

Eventually:
Hutson - Reinbacher
Guhle - Mailloux
Xhekaj - Struble/Engstrom/Konyushkov

I think KH is going to add another top4 D.

Guhle-Dobson/Pulock
Hutson-Reinbacher
Engstrom-Carrier
Xhekaj

 

[MtlSars]

Reinbacher replaces Savard in the lineup next season
Mailloux replaces Matheson the season after that

That's how I see it

Eventually:
Hutson - Reinbacher
Guhle - Mailloux
Xhekaj - Struble/Engstrom/Konyushkov

Mailloux can't clear waivers next season and there's 0 chance he does clears if we do send him down.

So likely Mailloux replaces Savard, and plays RD much like Barron did earlier this season. Reinbacher doesn't have to clear waivers and hasn't played all that much, he'll likely start in Laval because i doubt the Habs go Carrier Reinbacher Mailloux this year on the right side.

Hence the speculation to acquire a RD this summer but....then you have to give and block the path for both/one of these guys.

Time will tell how Hugo will handle that situation.

 

[Andrei79]

Always reminded me of bouchard in the sense he's got elite offensive skills but questionable IQ.

Bouchard has definitely improved in that department over the years. How does the IQ/decision making of rookie bouchard compare to Mailloux?

This is a really good question. Bouchard could be lackadaisical, but he had ridiculous TOI with London. He wasn't as physical as Mailloux, and he had similar brain farts. I would still say he's been the superior player through at the same points of their careers. His trajectory has been impressive though in recent years. All of the playoff games he's played have been a big, big difference in how he defends.

This is why I like when young players are both well surrounded, used in the right spot and given a lot of experience within a strong coaching staff. AHL time is very important for teams like Montreal, where the pressure is always high. We're seeing it with Mailloux right now, he's taking steps forward in his game during these playoffs.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Mailloux can't clear waivers next season and there's 0 chance he does clears if we do send him down.

So likely Mailloux replaces Savard, and plays RD much like Barron did earlier this season. Reinbacher doesn't have to clear waivers and hasn't played all that much, he'll likely start in Laval because i doubt the Habs go Carrier Reinbacher Mailloux this year on the right side.

Hence the speculation to acquire a RD this summer but....then you have to give and block the path for both/one of these guys.

Time will tell how Hugo will handle that situation.

Pretty sure Mailloux does not need to go through waivers next season if sent down

 

[Andrei79]

Mailloux can't clear waivers next season and there's 0 chance he does clears if we do send him down.

So likely Mailloux replaces Savard, and plays RD much like Barron did earlier this season. Reinbacher doesn't have to clear waivers and hasn't played all that much, he'll likely start in Laval because i doubt the Habs go Carrier Reinbacher Mailloux this year on the right side.

Hence the speculation to acquire a RD this summer but....then you have to give and block the path for both/one of these guys.

Time will tell how Hugo will handle that situation.

Mailloux is still waiver exempt next year.

 

[MtlSars]

Pretty sure Mailloux does not need to go through waivers next season if sent down

Mailloux is still waiver exempt next year.

Really? I'm very glad to be wrong if that's the case, on an online forum no less!

I was convinced this was the last year of his ELC (burned the 1st + 2 years of AHL) but it would seem i have been mistaken.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Always reminded me of bouchard in the sense he's got elite offensive skills but questionable IQ.

Bouchard has definitely improved in that department over the years. How does the IQ/decision making of rookie bouchard compare to Mailloux?

Bouchard is still a poor defender.

 

[DAChampion]

Really? I'm very glad to be wrong if that's the case, on an online forum no less!

I was convinced this was the last year of his ELC (burned the 1st + 2 years of AHL) but it would seem i have been mistaken.

NHL waiver rules rival the tax code for unnecessary complexity.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Mailloux can't clear waivers next season and there's 0 chance he does clears if we do send him down.

So likely Mailloux replaces Savard, and plays RD much like Barron did earlier this season. Reinbacher doesn't have to clear waivers and hasn't played all that much, he'll likely start in Laval because i doubt the Habs go Carrier Reinbacher Mailloux this year on the right side.

Hence the speculation to acquire a RD this summer but....then you have to give and block the path for both/one of these guys.

Time will tell how Hugo will handle that situation.

Mailloux is still on his ELC and is waivers exempt next season.

 

[Sam de Mtl]

If Reinbacher's knee is fine during the summer, I expect him to be in Montreal next season, but I believe in Mailloux and I think he won't be far behind ISF there is an injury.

 

[HabzSauce]

Bouchard is still a poor defender.

No where near as bad as I remember. Knob also runs a great system tho

 

[absolute garbage]

He is physically ready, and he has played 2 full seasons in the AHL. I don't think he's going to develop much more in the AHL.

After one more good summer of training if he doesn't make the team in October, you wonder if he ever will. It's pretty similar situation to Barron.

 

[The Last Red]

Bouchard is still a poor defender.

I’ll take him.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I’ll take him.

I wouldn't as Hutson will be the better player of the two and if Bouchard is not the PP1 QB then he is overall a liability and an expensive one at that. It would be a waste of cap space that will be needed elsewhere in the lineup. Much of his production is because he is on a PP with McDavid and Draisaitl. He is simply a bad player in any other situation other than on a power play.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

He is physically ready, and he has played 2 full seasons in the AHL. I don't think he's going to develop much more in the AHL.

After one more good summer of training if he doesn't make the team in October, you wonder if he ever will. It's pretty similar situation to Barron.

With Dmen it is the mental game that takes the longest and that is and always has been the major hurdle that he has struggled to clear.

 

[Quatre Vingt Treize]

He is physically ready, and he has played 2 full seasons in the AHL. I don't think he's going to develop much more in the AHL.

After one more good summer of training if he doesn't make the team in October, you wonder if he ever will. It's pretty similar situation to Barron.

Mailloux be a Sheldon Souray type player. Has that good shot on the powerplay. Souray could have those awkward moments defensively also.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Always reminded me of bouchard in the sense he's got elite offensive skills but questionable IQ.

Bouchard has definitely improved in that department over the years. How does the IQ/decision making of rookie bouchard compare to Mailloux?

The 'problem' with Bouchard is not a limitation of Hockey IQ but a limitation of footspeed. Mailloux's skating limitations with respect to acceleration will result in him being exposed and exploited at the NHL level by the speed of the forechecking he will encounter. Also, in the first game against Rochester, Mailloux was beaten wide on a number of occasions. And this is at the AHL level. I just don't think that this kid has the skating style that is necessary to succeed as a regular defenceman at the NHL level. High Hockey IQ or otherwise.