Canadiens Analysis
Canadiens Defensive Prospects: Laval Rocket Playoff Edition
While the Montreal Canadiens are preparing for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, their farm team, the Laval Rocket, is in the midst of a playoff push that carries elevated expectations.
With good reason, too.
Laval finished the season as the best club in the AHL, securing a franchise-best regular-season record of 48-19-3-2 in the process.
That being said, great results in the regular season lose all value once the playoffs commence, a lesson the Toronto Maple Leafs have failed to understand for the better part of the decade.
Pot shots at the Leafs aside, the playoffs are truly a different animal.
Laval’s excellent regular-season record is the last thing on anyone’s mind as they prepare to face the Rochester Americans on Sunday, a game that will decide which team will move on to face the Charlotte Checkers in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Laval Rocket Defensive Situation
Now that David Savard has retired from the NHL, the Canadiens will surely look to their top defensive prospects in Laval as the ideal internal options to fill the hole in the lineup.
Most would probably point to David Reinbacher or Logan Mailloux as the front-runners, but at the risk of invoking the ire of a large swath of fans, I’d argue neither is ready to make the jump to the NHL.
At least not yet.
I’m not attempting to sandbag prospects who are on the cusp, either.
That’s not my style.
The fact of the matter is that both players missed significant portions of key development seasons, and it’s quite apparent there’s still a lot to learn in the AHL, a perfectly normal situation for most prospects with NHL aspirations.
Mailloux, for example, is a dominant force in the offensive zone. He was one of the best players on the ice during two of the games versus Cleveland, and he had a solid start to the series versus Rochester. However, his defensive play still leaves a lot to be desired. Beyond blown coverage and poor gap control, there are still too many basic mistakes in his overall play to project him as an NHL-ready prospect. Giving away the puck in the defensive zone is not a big deal in the AHL, but it will lead to a rookie defenceman being benched in the NHL.
Reinbacher also struggles at times, with a varying level of confidence that directly impacts his decision-making. Keep in mind, the AHL is a fast league, but compared to the NHL, you have ample time to execute plays. Again, that’s an issue that is perfectly normal in the minor leagues, but it simply won’t fly in the NHL.
Defensive prowess can be learned, and the speed of execution can improve, but both those issues must be rectified before the Canadiens can count on either player performing well in a permanent NHL assignment.
In that vein, I’d argue that both defencemen would be better off finishing their studies in the AHL before they’re considered legitimate options for the Canadiens lineup, as an early promotion carries a significant amount of risk. There are endless examples of players who were rushed through the minors, and placed in the NHL before they were ready, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue there’s been a laundry-list of defensive prospects who spent too much time perfecting their game in the AHL.
Understandably, some will push back on the idea that Reinbacher and Mailloux are not ready to play in the NHL.
I get it, especially since we just witnessed Lane Hutson put together one of the best seasons from a rookie defenceman in league history.
ON TOPIC: Canadiens Calder Trophy Talk – The Strong Case For Lane Hutson
But we need to look at the big picture.
Ideally, we can adjust our expectations while keeping what’s best for either prospect in mind, especially from a long-term development standpoint.
Nuance is key, and patience is necessary.
On that note, if Montreal does want to find reinforcements on the farm, they could look to Adam Engstrom, the smooth-skating defenceman who was promoted to the top pairing once veteran Tyler Wotherspoon succumbed to a nagging injury.
Engstrom also has work to do, especially when it comes to his defensive coverage, but the fact that he’s been playing professional hockey since 2022 means that he’s gained a wealth of crucial experience, both in the regular season and the playoffs, and it shows whenever the puck is on his stick.
The biggest hang up is that he’s a left-handed defenceman, but his versatility may end up giving him the inside track on some of the other defensive prospects, as Engstrom has no issues playing on either side of the ice.
More importantly, his skating is elite, a crucial asset for a defenceman who is expected to drive the play from the back-end.
Things can and will change, but a promotion for Engstrom would also afford more time when it comes to the development of the defensive prospects who were drafted in the first round.
It’s probably the least exciting options from a fan standpoint, but it may end up being the best decision, both for the Canadiens and the prospects in question.
Joshua Roy brings Laval back into the game. Great work by Adam Engstrom to get the goalie moving. 3-1 Rochester. #LavalRocket pic.twitter.com/Z5CvDRcYdN
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 24, 2025
We need at least one RD and to me Mailloux is the most ready of the 3, he will be 3rd pairing so playing 10-12 min.a game plus practices should help complete is devopment. Some players learn faster at the NHL level. However, depending on how well he plays he and Reinbacher can rotate up and down from Laval providing both with the opportunity to learn the NHL game.
The thing is, I’m really not convinced playing minimal minutes in the NHL is what’s best for Mailloux. He needs a lot of ice time, as much as possible. You get that in the AHL, not on the third pairing in the NHL.
I get why people want to see him in the NHL, but is it really what’s best for the player in question?
Marc I appreciate your comments on Engstrom and totally agree. I find it interesting you make Engstrom out to be some kind of consolation prize to Mailloux. As you mentioned he is a fantastic skater, witnessed by his work last night putting the Americans to sleep while setting up the Rockets first goal. In terms of being a LD, he played the majoyof his professional careers in Sweden as a RD. So that should not be an issue. I was at the game last night and he made several solid defensive plays that would have made David Savard very proud. He’s definitely closer than the other 2. He likely will start camp as the one closest to a RD spot for the CH. Mailloux will need to be careful next year if he doesn’t start the season with the Habs. Bogdan will be in his final season in the KHL, and he is very sound defensively. Great to have all this depth.
“. I find it interesting you make Engstrom out to be some kind of consolation prize to Mailloux.”
Definitely wasn’t my intention. I’ve always been rather high on Engstrom, however, I do know that most fans rank Mailloux or Reinbacher well above him, and you do have to tread carefully in that situation.
Maybe I overcompensated a little.
In the playoffs Engstrom is a team leading +6.
I agree that Reinbacher and Mailloux could use more time, I’m not so big on using 5 lefties… I think we try to add a short term RHD vet to the mix… if Engstrom is ready, he can still compete with Struble and Xhekaj for a spot – I could see a rotation 😉
Previous game Primeau was the first star and then comes back with Fowler, why did Vincent do that?
Off topic, but are there any free agent KHL centres that might be suitable as a short term 2C on Demidov’s line?
I tried to find one but the only one that I could find was Evgeny Kuznetsov.His agent said he has not received any offers, but if a good offer is received
he will study it.
Thanks. I thought about him because he was Demidov’s linemate when Ivan wasn’t stapled to the bench for most of the game. Unfortunately, not the type of player I want to insert into our dressing room.
I did notice a couple of Russian wingers that might be another option. Wingers seem to be more plentiful than centers.
We’re flush with wingers though. It’s a 2C that seems to be on the shopping list this summer (although I’m in the minority who feels we should still give the job to a HEALTHY Dach). The million dollar question is if he’ll ever get healthy. He looked great his first season (and made his linemates better) before he got hurt. Then missed the rest of the season, the entire next season, and played hurt all last season until shutting it down once again. We haven’t seen what a healthy Dach could do since the first part of the 2022-2023 season. Before we spend valuable assets in a trade or potentially blow up our salary structure with a big splash UFA (which I don’t believe will happen), I’d rather give a healthy Dach another shot to prove himself worthy of the job. I think one of our biggest checklist items of the summer is to have Dach supervised by a physiotherapist or whatever every day and have Adam Nicholas working with him every day to ensure he’s rehabbing properly to come back actually healed this fall.
I just read that Demidov is staying the summer in Montreal to work with the team to prepare for next season. Talk about a perfect situation for Dach to hang around too and rehab while developing chemistry with his new linemate! The team should be stepping in and “encouraging” Dach stay in town too.
I believe some healthy competition for positions is critical on a good NHL Team.
So hopefully MSL sits down with Mailoux and Reinbecher after the Laval season is done and basically tells them that one of you two will
be with the Habs to start the season. Your off season training and performance at Training Camp in September will determine who stays in Montreal. Very clear optics and communication on this matter, will help the players, coaches and management to do their jobs.
Engstrom can replace Matheson
Good with Engstrom – especially if he can manage RD. I can not see how Reinbacher eould be ready with injuries last 2 seasons. He needs some additional AHL time and get to a point where it is not a “maybe” he is ready.
I have not been able to watch as many Rocket games this year but when I did catch Mailloux last year his defensive zone coverage was something to work on. And i am pretty sure the player on player Dzone coverage would leave him lost in the headlights. Plus it is tiring, so at the end of a shift, in man on coverage Mailloux is going to take a penalty or get beat pretty badly (think about the Canadiens in November 2024).
Would prefer to see who looks good in September. I think one of these 3 can fill the spot. And have been reading Mailloux is improving his D zone coverage.
Hi
Can you comment on whether William Trudeau has NHL potential?
A couple of training camps ago I was convinced Trudeau would end up in the NHL. Not as a top-four defenceman, but as a very serviceable No.5 or No.6.
His decision-making, in particular, was almost always spot on.
And then he proceeded to have a very rough year in Laval, which definitely set him back in terms of his position on the prospect ladder. He had a bounce-back season this year, but a few other key defensive prospects joined the Rocket, which counterbalanced his uptick in results.
At this point, I would qualify him and see how he does with another season in the AHL before thinking about him in the NHL.
I guess that’s my very long-winded way of saying yes, he still has some NHL potential, but the waters have been muddied a little.