Justin Barron made a strong impression at his only training camp with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021. So much so that, at 19, he was one of the last players cut. His coach praised him and, a few weeks later, he was playing the first games of his NHL career with the team that drafted him.
The Nova Scotian was traded to the Canadiens a few months later. Today, more than two years after the transaction, we are still waiting for his first good camp in Montreal.
In 2022, as the organization was revamping its blue line from top to bottom, management claimed Johnathan Kovacevic off waivers in order to send Barron to the AHL.
“My first year here, I didn’t have a good camp,” the main person concerned agreed on Thursday, taking the lead himself on this subject.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Jared Davidson, Justin Barron and Jakub Dobes during the intrasquad game on Thursday
“Last year was much better,” he continued. He had not, in fact, been cut and started the campaign with the big club… but in the stands. Injuries to Kaiden Guhle and David Savard allowed him to play relatively early in October. His sending back to the minors in January, however, reminded him of the fragility of his status.
I want to take another step this year. And be in the lineup from the first game.
Justin Barron
It would probably be a stretch to say that it will be make or break for him over the next two weeks. He is, after all, only 22 and plays at a position where athletes peak in their mid-20s. His potential hasn’t magically evaporated.
The right-hander, however, finds himself in a unique position compared to his many young colleagues. He is the only one among all the defenders fighting for a regular position who will have to go through waivers if he is cut.
A (further) tasteless camp from him would put management in an unpleasant position, since it would have to choose between trading him in a hurry or taking the risk of losing him without getting anything in return. A good camp, on the other hand, would make life easier for everyone, starting with Barron himself.
” Trust “
Although he maintains that his special status does not bother him, he nevertheless wants to “prove to the coaching staff and the management that [son] The game improved over the summer.
The big guy knows his strengths. His skating, his vision of the game, his ability to carry and distribute the puck. He may not be a pure offensive defenseman, but he is among the most effective on his camp in supporting the attack.
On Thursday, during the first intrasquad game of camp, it was apparent that No. 52 was more experienced than his younger teammates, Nick Suzuki noted.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Captain Nick Suzuki during the intrasquad game on Thursday
He led the defense. He led by example, he talked, he organized guys on faceoffs. […] He knows the system well and he’s taken on a leadership role in his defense group. It’s good to see him do that.
Nick Suzuki on Justin Barron
Justin Barron knows his Achilles heel just as well. “I have to be better defensively, be harder to play against and be a player my coaches trust in defensive assignments,” he listed.
On Thursday, his hesitation in the neutral zone allowed the opposing team to advance with more men. The next moment, the puck was in the back of the net.
He worked on it over the summer to show more versatility. With his training group in the Maritimes, he worked on “getting stronger and faster.” He also, he says, refined his defensive “details.”
His emphasis on this aspect of his game is not accidental. He knows full well that opportunities to move up the ladder have opened up following the departures of Johnathan Kovacevic and Jordan Harris during the offseason.
The two were given relatively tough assignments at even strength, and combined for some 230 minutes on the penalty kill last season.
Read the article “Analysis: Who will replace Harris and Kovacevic?”
Would Barron see himself moving up a man short? “That’s exactly the kind of chance I want to take advantage of,” he said. “I’ve played a little bit shorthanded in the past. [dans la LNH]but not with regularity. But I’ve done it at every other level. This is the next step I want to take.”
He won’t be alone in the ranks, since Jayden Struble said Thursday that he “loves” this phase of the game. In fact, the two appear to be the natural successors to Harris and Kovacevic in this regard.
However, the demonstration that Barron wants to make is broader. He is playing for big money, and he knows it. The ball, in a way, is in his court.
“I think I’ve played some good hockey the last couple of years,” he said. “I know I can play in this league. But I need to be more consistent to show that I’m a full-time NHL player.”