最新杏吧原创

In trading for defenseman Logan Mailloux, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong believes the organization has filled a void 鈥渋n our group today and tomorrow.鈥�

The Blues traded forward Zack Bolduc to Montreal in exchange for Mailloux, a 22-year-old right-hander who 最新杏吧原创 has pegged as a top-four defenseman in the future, on Tuesday morning before free agency opened around the NHL. Like Bolduc, Mailloux was a first-round pick in 2021. Unlike Bolduc (97 NHL games), Mailloux (eight NHL games) has limited experience at the highest level.

鈥淲hen you make a trade like this, it鈥檚 an old-fashioned hockey trade,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淚t was very difficult to include Bolduc in any deal, including this one. But when I look at our depth on the wing right now, if you go with (Jimmy) Snuggerud and (Jordan) Kyrou and then you go on the other side with (Pavel) Buchnevich and (Dylan) Holloway, it seemed like an area of strength of ours.鈥�

The Canadiens, meanwhile, just acquired the right-handed Noah Dobson from the Islanders and have prospect David Reinbacher (No. 5 pick in 2023) in the pipeline on the right side, making Mailloux expendable.

Mailloux, listed at 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, spent most of the past two years with AHL affiliate Laval, piling up 80 points in 135 games. He was named an AHL All-Star twice and was on the AHL All-Prospect team this season. The All-Prospects team is voted on by AHL GMs and includes the players projected to be the best NHLers. Blues prospect Dalibor Dvorsky was also on the team.

While most of Mailloux鈥檚 time in professional hockey has come in the minors, Armstrong said the Blues consider him 鈥淣HL-ready now.鈥�

鈥淚 talked to him, I told him he鈥檒l have the opportunity to have a job now,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 his job to come into camp and keep it.鈥�

Mailloux: 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty nice, to be honest. I think they鈥檙e giving me a chance here, trading for me. I think they gave up a good prospect, a good player. I think I鈥檓 NHL-ready as well. I think I鈥檓 ready to make that jump full time. Hopefully, come in here and be able to contribute to some wins and some success next year.鈥�

Mailloux will be in the NHL next season, it seems, but his acquisition is more about the future of the Blues.

A year ago, the club鈥檚 flow of young defensemen was stagnant. But the team used its first three picks in the 2024 draft on defensemen (Adam Jiricek, Colin Ralph and Lukas Fischer), then successfully offer-sheeted Philip Broberg (currently 24 years old) and now has traded for the 22-year-old Mailloux. Add in 2023 first-round pick Theo Lindstein and the Blues have now built the next wave of defensemen to support a blue line that currently features four players in their 30s.

鈥�(We feel) much better than we did a year ago,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淕etting Broberg last year, 6-3. Getting Mailloux now, 6-3. Adding the three guys we drafted last year, it鈥檚 balanced. We have a young centerman, Dvorsky. Now, can we add more young centermen? Sure. Can we add another young goalie? Sure. But that doesn鈥檛 happen overnight. I think we鈥檝e been able to revamp the outlook of our D from a year ago to today just with the additions of Broberg and Mailloux.鈥�

Mailloux said his overall game has improved in the two years in the AHL, a big step from being 鈥渞aw鈥� when he entered the league, he said.

鈥淚 think it was my play on both sides of the puck this year,鈥� Mailloux said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 one of the areas that I made a step compared to my first year. I think I was playing more of a complete game, being physical and trying to provide some offense when I can. Just being able to be out there and be a reliable player.鈥�

As it stands now, the Blues have a crowded blue line again. Mailloux, Broberg, Cam Fowler, Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy, Tyler Tucker and Matthew Kessel are all expected to be on the NHL roster. Only six can be in the lineup, and only two of them can run power-play units (Fowler, Faulk and Mailloux all possess that quality).

Asked how the Blues would look at the logjam on defense, Armstrong replied succinctly: 鈥淲e鈥檒l look at it.鈥�

Mailloux became a controversial figure at the 2021 draft when he asked teams not to draft him following a pair of charges in Sweden relating to taking and sharing a photo of a woman during sex, for which he paid fines. The incident happened in November 2020, when Mailloux was playing in Sweden as the OHL shuttered due to COVID-19.

Montreal still selected him anyway at No. 31, and Mailloux was suspended for four months when he returned to the OHL with London the following season.

Armstrong was asked whether Mailloux was on the Blues鈥� radar in 2021, and he replied 鈥渢here was a request by the player not to be drafted, so we didn鈥檛 take him with our pick and then Montreal did.鈥� The Blues ended up taking Bolduc instead.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a young man, and he made a mistake,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淥bviously, we鈥檝e done our research on that. We鈥檝e followed his career since then. The league has obviously done their due diligence and allowed him in to the league. We understand what he did. We also understand that everyone makes mistakes, and he鈥檚 paid for it. He鈥檒l continue to pay for it, and we鈥檒l continue to work with him.鈥�

Mailloux was asked Tuesday whether he鈥檇 put the situation behind him.

鈥淭o be honest with you, I think it鈥檚 something that it鈥檚 not just in the rear view for me,鈥� Mailloux said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 something that I鈥檝e carried with me every day. It鈥檚 something that I want to be able to make a positive impact.

鈥淚 think when I dealt with all of that, in the past few years, I鈥檝e felt I鈥檝e grown a lot, as a person, off the ice. I鈥檝e been around the community in Montreal, and like I said, I look forward to getting to 最新杏吧原创 and being able to make a positive impact around the community there. Just turning my whole situation, which was a negative situation, being able to turn that into a positive is something I鈥檝e really tried to do.鈥�