Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens Trade Talk – First-Round Picks And Logan Mailloux
The NHL rumour mill is heating up, and with it comes mention of two very different assets the Montreal Canadiens may end-up moving in the off-season.
According to Chris Johnston, the Habs are willing to move one or both of their first-round picks for an NHL-ready player, ideally a centre. This comes as no surprise to Canadiens fans, however, Johnston lists a defensive prospect who has not been included in many out-of-market trade boards: Logan Mailloux.
We’ve already discussed the possibility Kent Hughes will use the 16th and/or 17th overall picks to move up in the draft should a highly-touted prospect drop, not to mention the chances he leverages draft assets in a trade involving a player who can help the Canadiens maintain their upward trajectory after a very successful rebuilding season.
MUST READ: The Cost Of Moving Up At The 2025 NHL Entry Draft
Johnston has the picks in the top-10 of his summer trade targets, followed closely by a player that could have signed with the Habs last summer, but preferred a longer deal with the Nashville Predators: Jonathan Marchessault. All things considered, Marchessault was a logical free-agent signing target at the time, but it would make little sense to acquire him now that it would cost assets. It’s also worth remembering Hughes wisely wanted to avoid a five-year contract, and Marchessault will celebrate his 35th birthday in December.
ON TOPIC: Canadiens Trade Rumours – Jonathan Marchessault In Play
Essentially, the Marchessault boat has sailed.
The Montreal Canadiens Defensive Prospect Situation
As for Mailloux, Johnston makes it clear that the Habs are not necessarily pushing for a trade, nor are they in any rush to move the 22-year-old defenceman.
“While he’s certainly not a player Montreal has to move, the belief is he could be had in the right deal,” explained Johnston.
At this point in his development, it’s only fair to suggest Mailloux’s excellent work in the offensive zone is counterbalanced by his lack of improvements in the defensive zone.
His defensive coverage and gap control are still sticking points that will make cracking an NHL roster a veritable challenge. He also still makes basic mistakes, as evidenced by his underwhelming play in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final versus the Charlotte Checkers.
That’s FOUR shorthanded goals for John Leonard in TEN games 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/r88dHfSaTO
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) May 30, 2025
That’s not to say the Canadiens can afford to trade him without a proper return, and he’s far from the only prospect struggling, but I’d argue they’d be foolish not to listen to healthy offers.
It’s a touch-and-go situation, as the other right-handed defensive prospect who was expected to take a big step in his development this season, David Reinbacher, is also having a hard time when it comes to decision-making in the AHL playoffs.
Very rough shift for Reinbacher.
5-1 Charlotte. #LavalRocket pic.twitter.com/lRfAYS3r2b
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 30, 2025
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
There’s no need to raise the alarms when it comes to the fate of Mailloux or any other defensive prospect. Fortunately, Adam Engstrom has elevated his level of play throughout the playoffs, placing him ahead of both Mailloux and Reinbacher on the prospect depth ladder.
Simply put, he’s far and away the most NHL-ready defenceman of the trio.
MUST READ: Canadiens Defensive Prospects – Engstrom, Reinbacher, And Mailloux In The Playoffs
With that in mind, anyone expecting Reinbacher or Mailloux to immediately jump into the NHL lineup next year may want to readjust their expectations. Not only are the Canadiens not in a rush to move a defensive prospect, they’re in no rush to graduate them, either.
As it stands, another full season in the AHL may be the wisest path forward for both defensive prospects.
I sure hope we aren’t trading Mailloux any time soon. I know GMs tend to trade assets from the previous regime (Bergevin’s Mailloux) vs trading their own draft choices (Reinbacher) lest they look like they erred in choosing the Dman vs taking Michkov instead. Hopefully that’s the basis of Mailloux potentially being “available” and nothing more. It would be a mistake to move him already.
I agree with Marc that both should start in laval next year with a potential call-up in the works. Unless they trade for a young-ish RHD there is no need to rush this process. If the right opportunity arise – capitalize, otherwise trust that what you draft and develop will be more economical than spending on external resources.
I just don’t see us trading a prime asset for a stopgap solution for 2C. Hugo stated in their end-of-year press conference that they would not make a move that would leave the kids that are coming think, “Where did my spot go?” If we use Mailloux to bring in a 2C, that leaves Hage wondering where his spot in the future went. When you consider that they went out of their way to trade up to get Hage, it would then seem counterintuitive to make another trade to bring in a player that would block him. I think IF we’re doing anything for a 2C this summer, it’ll be a short 2yr UFA signing of a not big name player. But I’m not even sure convinced of that happening either because Gorton mentioned that Dach being 2C “was up to him and how he returns at camp”. To me, that sounds like they’re going to have to wait until training camp before making a decision based on Dach’s rehab. I know many fans are expecting something big to happen re: 2C this summer, but I’m not. I think HuGo are going to wait and see before doing anything. Of course, things could change quickly if a particular player became available that would really move the needle forward for us, but I ain’t holding my breath for it to happen.
I just do not see Dach as a 2nd line center. He did not show well last yr and he has never been a good face off man.
If anything he.makes a better winger and perhaps having Newhook center Dach and Anderson. Moving Gally to 4th line with Evans and Kapanen or Beck.
It’s tough to judge him on last year because he was obviously playing on a bad knee. I want to see if he can achieve the potential we saw in year 1 before he got hurt. Definitely agree about the faceoff % though.
As a rd with offensive talent, I hope he won’t be moved but at the same time, as stated in the article if the right deal comes along you’ve got to take that chance “already”
Check out my response to mikey_sl above. 😁👍
Unless it’s for a legit 2C who will be here long term, is young, and fits the team well, I agree that Mailloux should be kept. But just to touch on your point about Reinbacher vs Michkov, especially in the context of a potential RD trade… Reinbacher is doing better than what should probably be expected. Yes that’s a brutal giveaway in the clip above, but everyone makes mistakes.
I would point out that if we drafted Michkov, there’s little chance we take Demidov as well. I just can’t see any gm taking 3 straight wingers with top 5 picks. It’s the easiest position to fill. Plus Michkov is small and does not play physically. Not that Demidov does, but at least there’s a bit more compete on the boards and he is bigger. I also just think he’s an all-around better player, but we’ll have to see how he looks with more nhl games to be sure.
Now with that context, and the fact that Reinbacher has missed a ton of development time, go compare Reinbacher and Mailloux in the playoffs. Reinbacher is simply a much better defender with a much higher hockey IQ. He’s not as strong or physical, and everyone will say that Mailloux is better offensively. Honestly, they’re right. However, in these playoffs they have the same number of points, and Reinbacher isn’t getting the same offensive deployment that Mailloux is. He’s a year and a half younger, coming off of multiple big injuries, with way less experience in North American ice, but he’s still producing the same as Mailloux. He’s 7th in all rookie playoff scoring (including forwards), and yes others have played fewer games, but he’s tied for the most points from rookie Dmen. For all Dmen, he’s tied for 4th in playoff points… all this while not being considered an offensive Dman. 5 of Mailloux’s six points have come on the PP, including both goals. Only one point (a goal) of Reinbacher’s have been on the PP. I know +/- isn’t the greatest stat (and the even strength vs pp points obv plays a big role here) but he’s +2 while Mailloux is -5. Mailloux also served almost twice as many penalty minutes.
The point here is, if Mailloux gets traded, it won’t just be because Hughes doesn’t want to admit a mistake. It’ll be because Reinbacher is simply better. In the playoff games, against the best competition, Reinbacher has been better defensively, and at LEAST as good in terms of offensive production (you can argue he’s been better considering deployment and producing 5v5). Again, he’s also doing this after missing tons of playing/development time, getting used to NA ice, and while not actually being an offensive defenceman. Reinbacher is simply better than Mailloux. Even if he’s not ready for the NHL, he has a much higher ceiling AND floor. Mailloux is never going to be a top pair guy, he MIGHT be a top 4 guy… Reinbacher is not guaranteed, but highly likely to be at least top 4, with a shot at top pair, which is a glaring need for our team. Trading him just creates another massive hole in our system. Trading Mailloux does not, at least not to the same extent.
This won’t have anything to do with Michkov. Between him and Demidov, it looks like we got the player that fits us best. As for how that impacts a trade, it won’t, cuz Reinbacher is just the better defender compared to Mailloux. If Hughes was willing to move off of Baron, whom he himself acquired, I don’t see why he’d refuse to move off Reinbacher just because he picked him. The only thing that will matter is what is best for the Habs system. Mailloux and picks can get a 2C, while keeping a potential top pair RD which we desperately need. Reinbacher can also help get a 2C, but then we have zero potential top pair RDs in the system. You’d be filling one hole and making another much worse
I certainly don’t disagree with what you said. Reinbacher drafted at #5 overall and the first Dman taken in that draft SHOULD be significantly better than Mailloux taken at #31 in his draft with several Dmen taken before him. I just think we shouldn’t be trading EITHER guy right now or any of our top prospects, especially if it’s for a 2C that is supposed to keep Hage’s seat warm for him for a couple of years. Like I mentioned to mikey_sl, of course things can change quickly if a superstar type kid became available, but I ain’t holding my breath on that one. Young elite C don’t get traded. They’re the foundations of franchises.
Yeah I’d definitely look for other ways to acquire the 2C as well. Pulling from the RD position, a position of weakness, to fill another position of weakness, doesn’t seem to make much sense. Obviously if we upgrade the team for the future in a significant way, you still do it, but ideally you pull from LD or the many extra forward prospects to make the trade work. So I do agree I’d rather keep BOTH Mailloux and Reinbacher (again, keeping in mind that at a certain point, the return can make a trade impossible to pass up). Though the argument about where either Dman was drafted doesn’t quite fit. Mailloux is still older with more experience in North America, and Reinbacher has barely played for two straight seasons. Yes with all else equal, you should absolutely hope/expect Reinbacher to be better. But I don’t think we should forget this context about their situations. Also, Mailloux is supposed to be fantastic offensively… but Reinbacher has been just as good these playoffs. Regardless, I think we agree on the main point of “if you’re going to trade for a 2C, try to keep your two best RD, if possible”.
Though I kinda disagree with the idea that they won’t get someone. It would be malpractice to have Demidov play without a legit center who can keep up with him. This isn’t just about having names to slot in, it’s about proper development for everyone, including the top line. They also can’t continue to be a one line team. I definitely don’t think they should rush the rebuild or block any kids, but the 2C position really only has Dach as a possibility for now, and likely the next 2-4 years, except he can’t stay healthy. As you seem to agree with, we cant act like Hage is a guarantee nor can we act like he’ll be ready for 2C within the next 3 years. We cant leave Demidov dangling that long. Suzy also needs another center to take pressure off of him. A 2C means the top line can really flourish without all the pressure of being the only decent line. It means Demidov has someone who can keep up with him and help him develop. It means we can get a proper look at Laine after he FINALLY has a full offseason after playing a decent chunk of games for the first time in years. And it also means a slightly more competitive team which increases the chances that the kids get to play meaningful games all year again. I don’t think you can pass all that up just to “wait and see” yet again. Don’t sell the farm, don’t bring in tons of vets, don’t act like we’re in our contention window… but definitely bring in a real 2C for all the reasons I described. I don’t mind if it’s a placeholder (though obviously that changes what I’m willing to give up) but it has to be someone. Counting on Dach again would be silly, and I think their comments were more just for Dach’s mentality, to let him know he has a shot and to motivate him. But I’m not a mind reader, so I could be wrong.
Gorton also said that you don’t necessarily need a C to drive a line. There’s plenty of examples of wingers driving a line. Almost everyone interpreted that as “We’re going to look at Marner”, but I think he was talking about Demidov driving the 2nd line from the wing (like his idol Kaprizov). That’s why I also think that the C they may get this summer is just going to be an older, defensively responsible guy with some offensive upside. He can take some pressure off Suzuki vs top lines and hopefully keep up with Demidov and Laine. A guy like Pageau from the Isles could potentially be a fit. Being French doesn’t hurt either. Plus, he’s a faceoff ace, which is something we’re desperate for. We’re walking away from Dvorak in all likelihood, so someone has to pick up his slack. I think Pageau can do what Dvorak did, but better. More offence and even better in the dot. I don’t know if he’s a UFA or not, but if he isn’t, perhaps far he will want to put his stamp on the team with some moves (while also helping out his former hometown team to boot). 😁
*Darche (stupid autocorrect!)
He was referencing Possession Centers who’s jobs are to defend and distribute the puck to those who Drive the line like Demidov did or Pavel Bure did for that matter.
A more recent incarnation that cant be misunderstood if the Gaborik-Koivu-Granlund line MIN had. Gaborik drove the play but without Koivu doing his thing or having a secondary Center in Granlund then it doesnt work out for him at all.
To further drive home this point Gaborik-Kopitar in LAK
While Kopitar was the Franchise in 2012 it was Justin Williams driving that top line of Koptiar-Brown just like in 2014. In each season they won a Cup Kopitar needed someone driving the line for him to be effective at his levels as a 200ft Center.
Pageau is Dvorak in waiting.
Dvo before we got him was 3rd on his team in goals
Him putting up 20 goals while being top 10 in Faceoffs was normal.
He goes to a speed based team and is nothing but injured.
neither NYI or OTT were speed based teams either for reference.
Jaime Been Destroys Pageau in a top 6 role
Pageau his entire career has been a bottom 6 Vermette type.
Which is fine for a Contenders 3rd or 4th C if they’re Big and play hard so Pageau can be sheltered.
Really though Laine’s Team Finland Center and Friend in Mikael Granlund is a UFA and a better Center. Slaf’s close friend Pospisil is available and a work in progress but more upside long term then Pageau.
I mean NSH is fire saling again
Oreilly has been the top faceoff guy in the more than anyone not named Sydney Crosby. Plus if you just want Faceoff wins on bottom McCarron is a 53-54% win rate 4 line Center good for 14 mins a night and increasing each year. He’s bring size and grit with him unlike Pageau know primarily in his career for his big offensive nights versus MTL and nobody else lol
I can name a Dozen more cost effective and better options.
But in reality we arent looking for a bottom 6 Center anyways.
Its 2nd Center or we’ll just use Kappanen,Beck,Davidson or Xhekaj
Davidson IMO is the ideal 4th line C for Gally
He’s basically Gally/Danaults love child
Dude takes on and knocks out 6’6 guys when he’s 5’11
While his style is all Gally/Danault hybrid.
Like Byron he may always start the year on 4th line.
But his versatility can see him used anywhere like a swizz army knife
To me Newhook is a better Center than Dach if he plays anyplace it should be s wing position. He cannot win faceoffs.
He is
Its why 2 different AHL coaches demoted a AHL All Star and got better.
Attend a few Laval Games, you’ll see Mailloux is a Great special teams guy like Barron was and not much else but fighting.
Laval was #4 in the AHL pre Reinbacher.
Reinbacher came in and Laval was the ONLY AHL team over 100pts this year.
Which doesnt matter as much as Engstroms Debut post SHL Finals.
He pushed aside both for 1 reason as he Skates the 2nd best in our entire system behind only Lane Hutson. His skills are every bit as good as the other 2 even if he’s 2 inches and up to 20 lbs lighter, he smokes them in open ice.
With Protz committing to Laval
Coach V is likely to push Mailloux to LD to keep his minutes.
He’s just not good enough 5v5 which is why every rookie D prospect seems to leap frog him just like they did Barron. Like Barron he’s defined by Special teams but unlike Barron he plays Gritty and Hard at least.
Mailloux has value , more then Barron when COL traded him
But had COL waited another year that value woulda been exposed as less.
Mailloux has to learn to skate better or play smarter
Relying on Special Teams for success is a recipe for failure in MTL
Yes and No
It depends on the Trade
I supported Mailloux since day 1 unlike most
I LOVE the Xhekaj-Mailloux pairing that went 14-2-1 in 17 games
This after Snapping a 9 game losing streak when Xhekaj replaced Struble by Mailloux
That said you move him
Coach V the AHL Coach of the year Prefers Engstrom on top , Reinbacher on 2nd pair.
Mailloux isnt ready for the NHL under a coach like MSL either.
He’s best off going to a team like CBJ or Seattle where they will use him this year anyway
Mailloux is a guy who needs the deep end to learn to swim
In MTL there’s no clear path for him into the top 4
Especially not with Engstroms skating only being behind Hustons
That said there’s many teams that dont have RD depth at all and are using LD.
Mailloux there based on his size and skill would get more chances to grow.
I say this largely as Protz is committed to Laval this coming season along with Thorpe.
Protz is Alexi Emelin type who’s scouting report read’s “Protz has the monopoly on Violence when he’s on the ice, Smart violence….”
For Coach V it’ll be impossible to pass him over for Mailloux
Mailloux has done well enough but despite that made his 2nd straight All Star Appearance
Leaving him in a system where the Coach is the Canadian Torterella who benches players for bad shifts is a style thats elevated all the D around Mailloux but not Logan himself.
We can either let Mailloux continue to decline like he did this year
Or we fire the AHL Coach of the year who everyone plays better under but Mailloux, Simmoneau and Kidney. But keeping Mailloux means him being Benched and hoping that Protz doesnt take advantage of the games that happens.
Mailloux’s already been leapfrogged twice coming off a career & All Star year.
He was given 10 games at which point Engstrom pushed him out.
Played another 60 on 2nd pair until Reinbacher returned
Then was demoted to 3rd pair to end the season/start the playoffs.
Smart call too as they went from #4 in the AHL to #1 by a lot after doing it.
He’s simply just been outplayed and needs a new home
CBJ & SEA make sense but PIT with a Letang/Karlsson as mentors
I think that makes Mailloux a NHLer this year and he never looks back.
In Contrast here ,he might make the 2027-28 team maybe the 2026-27 team
Thats if those who leap frogged him decline
Personally if im Hughes i try taking a run at Wright playing 3rd C in SEA
44 points as a rookie and a 44% faceoff win rate(Suzuki levels)
Bundle a couple 1st’s,Mailloux and Beck to upgrade.
The last time we got a top 6 Center who worked out was via trade not Draft.
Paying two 1sts and Mailloux to upgrade Beck to Wright works for both teams.
SEA still gets a quality 3rd line Center for McCann to groom like he is Wright.
They also give themselves a 3rd Right shot for D with size and give themselves 2 more first for a total of 3 this year and 7 the next 3 years.
Zero chance we go after Wright after snubbing him at the draft (and getting laser beam eyes to boot). A couple of 1st round picks, plus Mailloux (a former 1st rounder), plus Beck (1st pick of 2nd round) for Wright is pure insanity. That’s basically 4 1st round picks for Wright, a kid we already snubbed who has a hate on for us. Never going to happen.
As for trading Mailloux… I didn’t say never. I just said not now, especially for a temporary fix at 2C. He missed a lot of time with “the incident” and then Covid cancelling the entire OHL season on top of that. He’s still very raw. We’ve been spoiled with many of our D kids development and that has skewed our perceptions. Year 1 of the rebuild we had 5 rookie D and allowed them to make all the mistakes with zero pressure. It was all about learning. Some thrived, others took a little longer. Not every kid is the same. Xhekaj is not the same as Guhle. Barron needed more time. He’ll eventually be a really good offensive Dman. Adding Hutson, blows everyone’s perspective out of the water too. He steps into the league and becomes a superstar in year one. Xhekaj and Mailloux are big guys that just need more time. One lacked the pedigree of being drafted, the other missed a ton of developmental time. Every kid is different. For every Guhle and Hutson, there are dozens of Xhekajs and Maillouxs. HuGo have done a great job at being patient. I understand why they made the Carrier trade for Barron, but I don’t think it’s time to sacrifice Mailloux. If he had been drafted by HuGo, I can guarantee that there would not be any rush to move him yet.
A good 2C can be acquired in a variety of ways. For example Sam Pollack made a
trade to acquire an under achieving 23 year old center from the Detroit Red Wings. This center had scored 9 goals and 10 assists in 82 games bouncing up and down from the AHL to the NHL. The Habs sent him to the AHL Montreal Voyageurs for 31 games before calling
up Pete Mahovlich to play with his brother Frank. Pete became a great player and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the year 2005 joining his older brother Frank.
Using an example from almost 56 years ago shows how uncommon it is to hit a home run with that type of deal. 😁
That is an excellent observation on your part. If Kirby Dach had not been injured he might now be a 50 point per season player or maybe even a 60 point per season player. Kirby is a very competitive guy, so he is probably working hard to get in shape right now. But since he has now become plan B, Kent Hughes will try hard to acquire a plan A. If plan A gets injured they have a few options like Newhook, Beck, Kapanen, Evans or Dach to replace Plan A if plan A is injured.
If the trade “works” you would have to listen. Just not sure who the targets are. There is chatter that Marco Rossi is available.
Whike maybe not the physical profile Montreal would want (5’9″) his skating , hockey skills and fitness are 2C worthy. So trading Mailloux and one of the 1st round picks might work. That said not sure what the compensation is if you offer sheet Rossi as he is an RFA.
The one centre’s I would be interested in is Mason McTavish. I would think Anahiem is not interested in moving him. And tge cost would considerable. A 1st, likely Reinbacher and a goalie. Fowler is not moving, not thinking Primeau makes it happen…
And if they go after Rossi – they need a mean skilled and large winger to work with Rossi and Demidov. And i have no idea if Rossi “fits” with Montreal.
Just spitballing like everyone else this time of year.
I would not be willing to give up any of the 3 defensive prospects in Laval for a 2C who is 32+ yrs old. And for the record Crosby is a 1C.
I have zero interest in adding a 5’9” C and I’m very confident HuGo have the same opinion. They even mentioned getting bigger, meaner, durable players for playoff hockey. That’s the opposite of Rossi. Skill is an important characteristic, but it can’t be the only one. Just ask the Laughs about their core 4.
I think they need to wait it out as well. Give Dach a chance and wait for Pittsburgh to fall apart and get Crosby at the deadline. His window would lead right to Hage in a couple yrs and Crosby at 41 would still make a stud 3rd line Center. Any young center that is available would probably have as many question marks as Dach.
I would LOVE to have Crosby too, but it’s pure fantasy. He’s either going to stay a Penguin for life or, on the minuscule chance he wants to move, he’ll go to Colorado to play with MacKinnon. Maybe they’ll even convince Marchand to sign there too, so all those Nova Scotia buddies can play together. We’re still years away from being a contender and the idea of Crosby wanting to play for his childhood team is definitely enticing, it’s not going to happen. Crosby is in win now mode.
I think we just target Malkin
Him beside Laine-Demidov is worth the price of admission.
Especially given Demidov’s chirp during the playoffs about Ovi
He corrected them on who he thought was his favorite Russian aka Malkin.
Said he molds his game after him and wants to play like him.
Just the boost it’d give to Demidov alone is worth it.
Even if he just signs with PIT again the following summer.
It will help Demidov lead the rookie race by a large margin
Putting him a select group of NHLer’s to do that
Thats over Crosby anyways
I wouldnt go big game hunting paying those prices for 40 year olds nearly.
I’d target 3rd line Center for the next 4 seasons at least in Shane Wright.
He’s playing above 3rd C status but not above the 3 Centers in front of him.
One of which was SEA top player for year but took Wrights wing to help him.
SEA needs a 3rd C and MTL needs a 2 C
SEA needs assets and a RD prospect of value
MTL has assets to spare and RD prospect of value to spare.