Mailloux and his Defense
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Mailloux and his Defense
I listened to several HABS podcasts, and the ding against Mailloux is his defense. Evidently, he very noticeably commits bad mistakes on Defense. One person further said that Mailloux would likely never work for Montreal because they run a complicated defense that requires their defenseman to think and respond quickly. Another person said that Montreal tried to include him in the trade to the Islanders (for Dobson), but the Islanders did not want him. Another person talked about how he needs good coaching.
How does our defensive plans/approach compare to Montreal's?
How does our defensive plans/approach compare to Montreal's?
Re: Mailloux and his Defense
Montreal allowed 30 more goals than the Blues did last season. They are playing catch-up.
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
Mailloux is a 22 yo dman. He has played 8 NHL games. He WILL make mistakes. He is a two time AHL All Star. The Blues will encourage him to activate offensively. They will also work with him to show him situations where he should and shouldn't take risks. HIs evolution into a more well rounded dman won't happen over night. Watching young offensively gifted Dmen develop isn't for every fan.
Re: Mailloux and his Defense
The problem noted on the Habs board is he makes more mistakes than a 22yo DMan should. They were not expecting him to play like a vet, but even with rookie glasses his defense was rough. Two example they gave was leaving a player wide open the crease to be a third person along the wall for a puck battle. The other was getting the puck at the blue line while the team had possession in the offensive zone and trying to skate the puck past two defenders and getting picked for a 2 on 0. Both of these don’t scream of 22yr old player making rookie mistakes, but someone who is reckless. As one other poster noted, Monte runs a very discipline defensive scheme so maybe this and the vet presence we have on defense can get him on the right path.b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:17 pm Mailloux is a 22 yo dman. He has played 8 NHL games. He WILL make mistakes. He is a two time AHL All Star. The Blues will encourage him to activate offensively. They will also work with him to show him situations where he should and shouldn't take risks. HIs evolution into a more well rounded dman won't happen over night. Watching young offensively gifted Dmen develop isn't for every fan.
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
Thank you for the information. Interesting read.rezero wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:49 pmThe problem noted on the Habs board is he makes more mistakes than a 22yo DMan should. They were not expecting him to play like a vet, but even with rookie glasses his defense was rough. Two example they gave was leaving a player wide open the crease to be a third person along the wall for a puck battle. The other was getting the puck at the blue line while the team had possession in the offensive zone and trying to skate the puck past two defenders and getting picked for a 2 on 0. Both of these don’t scream of 22yr old player making rookie mistakes, but someone who is reckless. As one other poster noted, Monte runs a very discipline defensive scheme so maybe this and the vet presence we have on defense can get him on the right path.b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:17 pm Mailloux is a 22 yo dman. He has played 8 NHL games. He WILL make mistakes. He is a two time AHL All Star. The Blues will encourage him to activate offensively. They will also work with him to show him situations where he should and shouldn't take risks. HIs evolution into a more well rounded dman won't happen over night. Watching young offensively gifted Dmen develop isn't for every fan.
Re: Mailloux and his Defense
Some context here. Six of the 8 dmen on the Canadiens were under 24 years old. Martin St. Louis plays a hybrid system...man to man with zone. It's complicated and takes awhile to learn. Furthermore, there were some injuries and Mailloux was paired with Hutson some of the time, another rookie who was flying all over the place.
Monty plays a very active defensive game relying on quick transition and freedom for the dmen to be very active in the o-zone. If you noticed last year when the Blues were playing their best, as soon as the puck went out of the zone, even if back to the d-zone, they quickly turned around and started a rush. And how many times did we see Parayko lead a rush or end up behind the net. There are other parts, but you get the idea.
It will be bumpy at first for Mailloux to become an integral part of the play, but he's got Parayko, Fowler, and even Faulk to guide him. And most importantly, he has Monty, a great coach for him.
Monty plays a very active defensive game relying on quick transition and freedom for the dmen to be very active in the o-zone. If you noticed last year when the Blues were playing their best, as soon as the puck went out of the zone, even if back to the d-zone, they quickly turned around and started a rush. And how many times did we see Parayko lead a rush or end up behind the net. There are other parts, but you get the idea.
It will be bumpy at first for Mailloux to become an integral part of the play, but he's got Parayko, Fowler, and even Faulk to guide him. And most importantly, he has Monty, a great coach for him.
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
I have heard the same reports. The fact remains that he missed almost 2 seasons of development time. No doubt he is going to be playing catch up. He also was projected as a solid 1st round pick and has made 2 AHL all star teams. He's got big upside but a lot of growth to become a complete player.rezero wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:49 pmThe problem noted on the Habs board is he makes more mistakes than a 22yo DMan should. They were not expecting him to play like a vet, but even with rookie glasses his defense was rough. Two example they gave was leaving a player wide open the crease to be a third person along the wall for a puck battle. The other was getting the puck at the blue line while the team had possession in the offensive zone and trying to skate the puck past two defenders and getting picked for a 2 on 0. Both of these don’t scream of 22yr old player making rookie mistakes, but someone who is reckless. As one other poster noted, Monte runs a very discipline defensive scheme so maybe this and the vet presence we have on defense can get him on the right path.b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:17 pm Mailloux is a 22 yo dman. He has played 8 NHL games. He WILL make mistakes. He is a two time AHL All Star. The Blues will encourage him to activate offensively. They will also work with him to show him situations where he should and shouldn't take risks. HIs evolution into a more well rounded dman won't happen over night. Watching young offensively gifted Dmen develop isn't for every fan.
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
Good information. Thank you.somni wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:09 pm Some context here. Six of the 8 dmen on the Canadiens were under 24 years old. Martin St. Louis plays a hybrid system...man to man with zone. It's complicated and takes awhile to learn. Furthermore, there were some injuries and Mailloux was paired with Hutson some of the time, another rookie who was flying all over the place.
Monty plays a very active defensive game relying on quick transition and freedom for the dmen to be very active in the o-zone. If you noticed last year when the Blues were playing their best, as soon as the puck went out of the zone, even if back to the d-zone, they quickly turned around and started a rush. And how many times did we see Parayko lead a rush or end up behind the net. There are other parts, but you get the idea.
It will be bumpy at first for Mailloux to become an integral part of the play, but he's got Parayko, Fowler, and even Faulk to guide him. And most importantly, he has Monty, a great coach for him.
Are you concerned that the Blues have shown little patience with defenseman committing errors in the past? They aren't noted as a gang that "teaches", are they? They seem like a team that would rather rent-an-old-dude than tolerate mistakes by a young player.
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
I agree with this take. Mailloux’s biggest weakness seems to be his defensive play but he also has some really positive features as well. And he missed about 2 years of development so there’s logic to the thinking that he’ll just need a bit more time than he likely would’ve if he hadn’t missed that time.b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:13 pmI have heard the same reports. The fact remains that he missed almost 2 seasons of development time. No doubt he is going to be playing catch up. He also was projected as a solid 1st round pick and has made 2 AHL all star teams. He's got big upside but a lot of growth to become a complete player.rezero wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:49 pmThe problem noted on the Habs board is he makes more mistakes than a 22yo DMan should. They were not expecting him to play like a vet, but even with rookie glasses his defense was rough. Two example they gave was leaving a player wide open the crease to be a third person along the wall for a puck battle. The other was getting the puck at the blue line while the team had possession in the offensive zone and trying to skate the puck past two defenders and getting picked for a 2 on 0. Both of these don’t scream of 22yr old player making rookie mistakes, but someone who is reckless. As one other poster noted, Monte runs a very discipline defensive scheme so maybe this and the vet presence we have on defense can get him on the right path.b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:17 pm Mailloux is a 22 yo dman. He has played 8 NHL games. He WILL make mistakes. He is a two time AHL All Star. The Blues will encourage him to activate offensively. They will also work with him to show him situations where he should and shouldn't take risks. HIs evolution into a more well rounded dman won't happen over night. Watching young offensively gifted Dmen develop isn't for every fan.
Young d-men are going to make mistakes. He has less than 10 games under his belt so he’s going to make plenty of them. But Monty is an excellent teaching coach and is known to be good with young players. We’ll just need to give him some slack and hope he learns relatively fast.
Re: Mailloux and his Defense
I'm not concerned at all. IMO, the Blues are transitioning the team to a younger and more well-balanced team. Monty is a great teacher. They are building the team in his mold and giving him the players to develop. It's a perfect time with all the young guns knocking at the door.a smell of green grass wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:16 pmGood information. Thank you.somni wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:09 pm Some context here. Six of the 8 dmen on the Canadiens were under 24 years old. Martin St. Louis plays a hybrid system...man to man with zone. It's complicated and takes awhile to learn. Furthermore, there were some injuries and Mailloux was paired with Hutson some of the time, another rookie who was flying all over the place.
Monty plays a very active defensive game relying on quick transition and freedom for the dmen to be very active in the o-zone. If you noticed last year when the Blues were playing their best, as soon as the puck went out of the zone, even if back to the d-zone, they quickly turned around and started a rush. And how many times did we see Parayko lead a rush or end up behind the net. There are other parts, but you get the idea.
It will be bumpy at first for Mailloux to become an integral part of the play, but he's got Parayko, Fowler, and even Faulk to guide him. And most importantly, he has Monty, a great coach for him.
Are you concerned that the Blues have shown little patience with defenseman committing errors in the past? They aren't noted as a gang that "teaches", are they? They seem like a team that would rather rent-an-old-dude than tolerate mistakes by a young player.
The old guys are stop-gaps. Oddly enough, I think they need another Suter like player on defense for just one more year. Tucker/Mailloux need some room to grow, IMO.
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
What we should be excited about this kid is that amongst all we've heard about his game his character is what nobody questions. Everything points to him working hard and being coachable. While I don't think he was in a bad environment a change of scenery can also be boost.
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
I see. I really appreciate your knowledge. I'm encouraged that you see a happy ending for this.somni wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:34 pmI'm not concerned at all. IMO, the Blues are transitioning the team to a younger and more well-balanced team. Monty is a great teacher. They are building the team in his mold and giving him the players to develop. It's a perfect time with all the young guns knocking at the door.a smell of green grass wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:16 pmGood information. Thank you.somni wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:09 pm Some context here. Six of the 8 dmen on the Canadiens were under 24 years old. Martin St. Louis plays a hybrid system...man to man with zone. It's complicated and takes awhile to learn. Furthermore, there were some injuries and Mailloux was paired with Hutson some of the time, another rookie who was flying all over the place.
Monty plays a very active defensive game relying on quick transition and freedom for the dmen to be very active in the o-zone. If you noticed last year when the Blues were playing their best, as soon as the puck went out of the zone, even if back to the d-zone, they quickly turned around and started a rush. And how many times did we see Parayko lead a rush or end up behind the net. There are other parts, but you get the idea.
It will be bumpy at first for Mailloux to become an integral part of the play, but he's got Parayko, Fowler, and even Faulk to guide him. And most importantly, he has Monty, a great coach for him.
Are you concerned that the Blues have shown little patience with defenseman committing errors in the past? They aren't noted as a gang that "teaches", are they? They seem like a team that would rather rent-an-old-dude than tolerate mistakes by a young player.
The old guys are stop-gaps. Oddly enough, I think they need another Suter like player on defense for just one more year. Tucker/Mailloux need some room to grow, IMO.
Do you see players currently "teaching" the younger guys in 2023/24? Is that a well-established "school" that we can count on for Mailloux?
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
I agree with this. Good points.Tony Palazzolo wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:49 pm What we should be excited about this kid is that amongst all we've heard about his game his character is what nobody questions. Everything points to him working hard and being coachable. While I don't think he was in a bad environment a change of scenery can also be boost.
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
You'll find that I am very patient with losses. I'm the guy that wants a TOP5 draft pick more than anybody West of the MississippiSTL fan in MN wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:28 pmI agree with this take. Mailloux’s biggest weakness seems to be his defensive play but he also has some really positive features as well. And he missed about 2 years of development so there’s logic to the thinking that he’ll just need a bit more time than he likely would’ve if he hadn’t missed that time.b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 21:13 pmI have heard the same reports. The fact remains that he missed almost 2 seasons of development time. No doubt he is going to be playing catch up. He also was projected as a solid 1st round pick and has made 2 AHL all star teams. He's got big upside but a lot of growth to become a complete player.rezero wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:49 pmThe problem noted on the Habs board is he makes more mistakes than a 22yo DMan should. They were not expecting him to play like a vet, but even with rookie glasses his defense was rough. Two example they gave was leaving a player wide open the crease to be a third person along the wall for a puck battle. The other was getting the puck at the blue line while the team had possession in the offensive zone and trying to skate the puck past two defenders and getting picked for a 2 on 0. Both of these don’t scream of 22yr old player making rookie mistakes, but someone who is reckless. As one other poster noted, Monte runs a very discipline defensive scheme so maybe this and the vet presence we have on defense can get him on the right path.b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025 20:17 pm Mailloux is a 22 yo dman. He has played 8 NHL games. He WILL make mistakes. He is a two time AHL All Star. The Blues will encourage him to activate offensively. They will also work with him to show him situations where he should and shouldn't take risks. HIs evolution into a more well rounded dman won't happen over night. Watching young offensively gifted Dmen develop isn't for every fan.
Young d-men are going to make mistakes. He has less than 10 games under his belt so he’s going to make plenty of them. But Monty is an excellent teaching coach and is known to be good with young players. We’ll just need to give him some slack and hope he learns relatively fast.

Re: Mailloux and his Defense
Can anybody tell me why he missed 2 years of development?
Seems like something off ice happened but I'm not in the loop. What's the black cloud around this kid?
Seems like something off ice happened but I'm not in the loop. What's the black cloud around this kid?
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Re: Mailloux and his Defense
Covid year shut down. And an incident you can google.
Last edited by b-a-a-a-rclay on 07 Jul 2025 22:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.