Logan Mailloux

[dhsux]

Admittedly a fan and definitely try to follow his play as close as I can. I know he has his detractors here as well so I thought I'd ask how every one thinks he is working out.

Breaking his 49 games down on just +/- it goes...... first 13 games -12, next 14 games -8 and last 13 games -3 at 14.44 mpg.

For the 13 Jan games here's the D core comparison:
Faulk +2
Fowler -1
Broberg +2
CP -2
Tucker -1
Mailloux -3

Plus/minus is fallible and always debated but for me I've seen definite progress in his play that correlates very close to what these numbers say. Basically IMO the progress in his defensive play has correlated with these numbers and spells, IMO, good things to come.

His offense has been disappointing. OK...stat-wise bad. 1 assist in 13 games. 4 shots. It's very odd to me, I think he has a strong passing game, a good shot, he seems to make the right decisions and he's not fumbling the puck creating turnovers. He's not some problem in the Ozone. I am convinced he's deliberately playing a cautious nearly timid offensive game, overly focusing on his defensive responsibilities and pretty much to his offensive detriment. And further, I'm pretty sure he is doing this correctly for the now. I think his offensive skills are there for the taking once he gets settled in with more experience on both ends.

I do view Mailloux as a project but keep in mind with the way this team has played this year there's about a dozen other projects out there on the ice as well which has likely not helped him out too much.

Can't say for sure but for me, I'd put it 80/20 the Blues have their top 4 RHD guy they were looking for.

[zamadoo]

Agree. Nice assessment.

[moose-and-squirrel]

Agree. Nice assessment.

+1

[a smell of green grass]

I tip my hat to your analysis. Personally, I'm not sure what conclusions to draw yet, but this is a great approach to assess Mailloux's performance fairly down the road.

I'm curious what you think about how Mailloux stacks up against other defenseman in the NHL. Mailloux being a top defenseman on the Blues doesn't mean much by itself. We need players that are at the top of their position across the NHL.

[Harry S Deals]

By ANY unbiased view he is slowly improving zero doubt about it. He is not a finished product by any means its unlikely any of the NHLs top 16 teams would have a spot for him however even if he just continues on the current slow track of improving some time soon he is going to be a legit NHL d man. Im really hoping he can become more physical he has the tools my guess right now is hes affraid to take a penalty

[Corban84]

Nice write up. I have been following closely the last few games. I think there is a lot to like.

Defensively he seems to really be focusing on being in the right position, having an active stick, and playing more physically. I feel like his skating could be a bit better when handling the puck in the neutral zone, he seems to still get a bit jumpy and rush passes (but sees the correct play).

Offensively, I think he has the instincts but is thinking about defense first, which is fine for now. He gets so much into his wrist shots that it's hard to imagine it not developing into a weapon with some added poise.

[Bluesfan1978]

I thought last night was his best game trying to join rushes and get up ice. He was rewarded with being on the ice with a minute or so left in the game. He's trending in the right direction. He also is improving at not automatically deferring the puck to Fowler although he needs to keep improving at that as well. Personally I think he has come a long way from his first few games. If he can improve this much again by the end of season he should be a solid contributor on the blue line.
In a perfect world he would have a partner like Suter

[seattleblue]

Pro
1. Improvement is better than not improvement
2. As you say there's lots of projects going on so it's a throwaway season so of all times to learn, throwaway seasons at least it's not his fault

Con
1. we are talking about improvement from an abysmal baseline (see Kyrou, Jordan) and the improvement is still openly inadequate
2. more continued misjudgment from the front office on NHL defense in a situation where everyone correctly doubts them (they expected much better than whatever this still is)

[Frank Underwood]

Just to add one more element to this topic……..we have now seen that the trade was not a “Steal of the century” for Montreal, an assessment based on a 4-game heater for one of the players to start the season. Both players are a work in progress, and it might very well end up being a situation where both guys end up as fringe players, or both end up as middle-of-the-pack guys, maybe more. All of the early season hyperventilating based on Bolduc s hot start (and Mailloux’s poor start) really led to a wildly biased view of this trade that is only now going away.

Still hoping this deal is a win/win for both teams.

[StLouis-4Life2]

He's basically played 50 games. His defense was considered his weakness and now he almost in line plus minus wise with all the other defenseman. Expect him to start playing more offensively towards the last 25 games of the season. Pretty confident he will be a solid 2RD, he could be a great 2RD or even 1RD if he gets his hitting down right. Some of the mistakes on defense has been when he doesn't finish his hit. Don't get me wrong he throws hits, a few big ones even, but he really needs to get a mean streak and make them punishing hits in the corners. Seen a few times where he threw a mediocre hit and then the people bounced off it and got in a scoring position and passed it into a scoring position. Half hearted hits in the NHL doesn't work. If he gets that done and finally starts letting his shot go, people aren't going to believe we stole this kid for Bolduc. That being said wouldn't mind getting him back if we get him back in the next year or two. Canadians aren't coaching him right and there is a good chance he will become another Patrick Berglund, has the ability to be great but never becomes great because of off the ice issues

[moose-and-squirrel]

Just to add one more element to this topic……..we have now seen that the trade was not a “Steal of the century” for Montreal, an assessment based on a 4-game heater for one of the players to start the season. Both players are a work in progress, and it might very well end up being a situation where both guys end up as fringe players, or both end up as middle-of-the-pack guys, maybe more. All of the early season hyperventilating based on Bolduc s hot start (and Mailloux’s poor start) really led to a wildly biased view of this trade that is only now going away.

Still hoping this deal is a win/win for both teams.

+1

and I think it will be

was fun watching LM fly around last night

[a smell of green grass]

Just to add one more element to this topic……..we have now seen that the trade was not a “Steal of the century” for Montreal, an assessment based on a 4-game heater for one of the players to start the season. Both players are a work in progress, and it might very well end up being a situation where both guys end up as fringe players, or both end up as middle-of-the-pack guys, maybe more. All of the early season hyperventilating based on Bolduc s hot start (and Mailloux’s poor start) really led to a wildly biased view of this trade that is only now going away.

Still hoping this deal is a win/win for both teams.

We all knew what Bolduc was at the current point in time. We certainly liked his toughness, which is something we lack on the whole bench. He also showed signs of improving.

What did we know about Mailloux? Answer: Army and Blues Scouts disagreed with the rest of the hockey world and Canadian fans. The world told us that Mailloux lacks defensive IQ, etc. Army told us that Mailloux is ready to make the team. He is ready to earn a spot. He has great offensive weapons that can be useful.

I objected to the trade because WE WERE LIKELY NOT GETTING IN RETURN WHAT ARMY SAID WE WERE GETTING. And then what happened? Mailloux was NOT NEAR READY. What offense? By adding Mailloux, we subtracted Fowler.

By Army's own words, we LOST this trade. We did not get a "ready" defenseman that brings offense. That is what Army was EXPECTING in the trade for Bolduc.

Regarding the long-term, the only thing we know is that Army HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT from Mailloux. How do I know this? Because when you are so horribly wrong on Day 1, you can't be trusted to know where we will be in Year 2.

[BleedingBleu]

Just to add one more element to this topic……..we have now seen that the trade was not a “Steal of the century” for Montreal, an assessment based on a 4-game heater for one of the players to start the season. Both players are a work in progress, and it might very well end up being a situation where both guys end up as fringe players, or both end up as middle-of-the-pack guys, maybe more. All of the early season hyperventilating based on Bolduc s hot start (and Mailloux’s poor start) really led to a wildly biased view of this trade that is only now going away.

Still hoping this deal is a win/win for both teams.

We all knew what Bolduc was at the current point in time. We certainly liked his toughness, which is something we lack on the whole bench. He also showed signs of improving.

What did we know about Mailloux? Answer: Army and Blues Scouts disagreed with the rest of the hockey world and Canadian fans. The world told us that Mailloux lacks defensive IQ, etc. Army told us that Mailloux is ready to make the team. He is ready to earn a spot. He has great offensive weapons that can be useful.

I objected to the trade because WE WERE LIKELY NOT GETTING IN RETURN WHAT ARMY SAID WE WERE GETTING. And then what happened? Mailloux was NOT NEAR READY. What offense? By adding Mailloux, we subtracted Fowler.

By Army's own words, we LOST this trade. We did not get a "ready" defenseman that brings offense. That is what Army was EXPECTING in the trade for Bolduc.

Regarding the long-term, the only thing we know is that Army HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT from Mailloux. How do I know this? Because when you are so horribly wrong on Day 1, you can't be trusted to know where we will be in Year 2.

Where did Army state “we lost this trade?”

[DawgDad]

ASSOGG, I stopped reading at "rest of the hockey world". That's outright dishonest. He was an AHL All-Star. Last I looked AHL was a significant part of the "hockey world".

[steve li]

ASSOGG, I stopped reading at "rest of the hockey world". That's outright dishonest. He was an AHL All-Star. Last I looked AHL was a significant part of the "hockey world".

I actually stopped reading at ASSOGG. Mainly cause he's blocked.

[Harry S Deals]

In July 2025, after acquiring Mailloux from Montreal in exchange for Zack Bolduc, Armstrong stated: "We think he’s NHL-ready now. I talked to him, I told him he’ll have the opportunity to have a job now. It’s his job to come into camp and keep it."
Armstrong praised Mailloux’s excellent skating, strong shot, and offensive potential, calling him a key addition to address the Blues’ right-handed defenseman needs.
Despite early-season struggles in the 2025–26 season, Armstrong maintained belief in Mailloux’s long-term upside.
On November 9, 2025, Armstrong announced Mailloux’s reassignment to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, citing the need for a "reset" to help Mailloux "get his game back" and "unlock his mind" from anxiety and pressure.
Armstrong emphasized that the move was not solely about Mailloux’s performance, noting the team as a whole was "not functioning at a high level" at the time.
The Blues remain committed to Mailloux’s development, viewing him as a future top-four defenseman with high potential.