The four veterans on defense for the Canadiens on Monday night at the Bell Center were aged 23 and under and three of them are preparing to begin their second season in the professional ranks.
Both rookies were first-round selections in 2021 and 2023 and are among the organization’s top prospects.
So there may be a scenario where the six defensemen in uniform during the Montreal hockey club’s first preseason game before the 2023-24 season will one day become the team’s six regular defensemen.
Veterans Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron and Jordan Harris were supported by Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher in a match that the Canadian lost 4-2 against the New Jersey Devils.
“They did well,” said head coach Martin St-Louis after the game. We started talking about working in the defensive zone, how to get out under pressure, our forecheck.
“Our defenders are exposed to a lot right now. We try not to give too much too quickly, to take it a little at a time. »
St-Louis showed a big smile when he was reminded that all the defenders were aged 23 and under against the Devils. He recognized that the future was promising at this level with the Habs, but also noted that we should not draw too many conclusions about Monday’s training.
“We want to give matches to all the players to evaluate them. You can’t think too far ahead,” he said.
Mailloux was used the most against the Devils, playing for 21:00. Reinbacher spent the least amount of time on the ice, just 15:26, but he had one assist and didn’t make any major errors.
“Maybe they were nervous at the start of the match,” said goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault, who played the first half of the match. Maybe they were trying too complicated plays, rather than just moving the puck with simple plays.
“The more the match went on, the more I thought they did a good job. Logan was very good after we replaced the goalkeeper with another striker. »
Everything indicates that Mailloux will start the season in the American Hockey League, with the Laval Rocket. There is already congestion on the blue line for the Canadian and although he made several good plays against the Devils, Mailloux also took a lot of risks.
Despite everything, he hopes to quickly join the young core of defenders in the big club.
“I think it’s the little details that make you an NHL defenseman,” Mailloux said. As a defender, you must make the right play, find the right passing line to exit the zone, not lose your battles, make the right reads of the game.
“Look at a guy like Guhle. He is incredible. He played on a first pair in his first year. I have to look for inspiration from a player like him. »
Only time will tell if Monday’s game against the Devils was a glimpse of the Canadian’s defensive brigade of the future.
And we must not forget Lane Hutson either, who made all the rain and shine in the American university ranks last winter.