Montreal Canadiens Detail Their Plan For Logan Mailloux

Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux will be spending the summer in Montreal rehabbing his shoulder, but the club would like him to attend development camp.

General manager Kent Hughes confirmed that Mailloux’s agent, Dylan Liptrap of Quartexx Management, invited the youngster to rehab his shoulder in Montreal after having season-ending surgery.

“He’ll be in Montreal for a few weeks. We’d like him to come to camp to see how he interacts with other prospects,” said Hughes during his press conference Thursday night.

Montreal Canadiens VP of Communications, Chantal Machabée, took to the airwaves of 91.9 Sports to give a little more information on what the next steps were regarding the 2021 1st rounder this summer.

“I’ll be meeting with Logan next week,” said Machabée regarding the next steps with Mailloux. “We need to see where he’s at. He’s rehabbing his shoulder as we speak; he had surgery this spring. I haven’t spoken to his agent yet, but it’s something I intend on doing over the coming days.”

When asked whether or not Mailloux would address the media for the first time since being drafted, Machabée preached patience and understanding of the situation.

“For sure, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” said Machabée regarding Mailloux being made available to the media in the future. “Yes, eventually, he’ll have to absolutely talk to the media; we’re very aware of this. However, we’re going to start by meeting him and talking with him. As a hockey player, we have to see where he’s at on his personal and on-ice development. We’re going to go step-by-step. Logan’s been doing some great work according to what we’re being told and I look forward to being able to chat with him.”

There is still lots of time before the Montreal Canadiens have to determine whether or not to offer Mailloux an official contract, but it does appear that they are willing to work with him and are encouraged by what they’ve seen and heard so far.

Potential To Eventually Sign With Montreal Canadiens

In the event that the Montreal Canadiens and Kent Hughes feel that the work has been and Mailloux’s growth as a person is evident and genuine, they could proceed to offer him an entry-level contract and continue to work with him. The Montreal Canadiens have been adamant under Kent Hughes’ tenure regarding their expectations of Mailloux prior to considering any negotiation.

Mailloux does play a position of great need on right defence, but Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens have maintained that it will be Mailloux’s off-ice growth that will determine his future with the club. The option is still available to the Canadiens and is not one that should be discounted entirely at this time.

Contingency Plan For Not Signing Mailloux

The Montreal Canadiens presented Logan Mailloux with a Bona Fide Offer prior to June 1, 2022, which gives them a year to decide whether or not to the youngster before June 1, 2023, at 5 pm. Should they decide against it, they will lose his rights and Mailloux would simply go back into the draft for another club to select him. However, because a Bona Fide Offer was made before June 1, 2022, the Montreal Canadiens wouldn’t walk out of such an unfortunate situation empty-handed, as they would be awarded the 63rd overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Such an insurance policy allows Kent Hughes the flexibility to fall back on gaining a valuable compensatory pick and rid himself of his predecessor’s hot potato, should he not be satisfied with Mailloux’s personal and on-ice growth. This outcome would also provide good leverage for the Canadiens, who know they can fall back on the value of this 2nd round pick if they can’t find better value on the trade market, assuming they chose not to sign the youngster. The compensatory 63rd overall in the 2023 NHL Draft could give the Canadiens even more firepower to make trades or move up in a draft that is said to be quite top-heavy.