Bolduc vs Mailloux: In the Right Direction

When the Montreal Canadiens acquired Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders as part of a sign-and-trade, it became evident that Kent Hughes would look at using the depth at the blue line to improve the forward group. On July 1st, Logan Mailloux headed to the St. Louis Blues in a trade for Zachary Bolduc.

Considering the players in the transaction are 22-year-olds and the small sample size, it is too early to determine a winner, but with the Blues in town on Sunday, it is a good time to check in on their start of season. Both players have showed signs of promise and have had setbacks, but both young men seem to be taking positive steps in the right direction.

Bolduc’s Offensive Flashes

Bolduc’s season has been up and down. He started his tenure as a Hab on a high, scoring in the first three games of the season and adding an assist. Things cooled off after the hot start, with him getting two points over the next 16 games. He followed that stretch with six points in four matches.

During his best moments, he skated on a line next to Kirby Dach and Brendan Gallagher. Injuries and overall performance have reshuffled the lines throughout the season. In contrast, he logged the fewest minutes among forwards in Wednesday’s win over the Winnipeg Jets, finishing with 7:54 of ice time.

“He’s a young player. We’re trying to get him to where we know he can get to. It’s not going to be linear. He’s going through that right now. [Bolduc] is a great offensive player, he’s got to keep working on his defensive game,” Martin St. Louis said following the Jets game.

The coach has not had full confidence in Bolduc’s defensive game this season. At times when Bolduc played with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, St. Louis would slot Juraj Slafkovsky in his spot in the third period during close games. Offensively, the Trois-Rivieres native has shown flashes of being a threat, especially with his shot. Currently Bolduc is assigned to Montreal’s fourth line with Joe Veleno and Jared Davidson.

According to St. Louis, this is normal trajectory for a player in his second full NHL season, that is also joining a new team, “There will always be [an adjustment]. How many games has he played in the NHL? You can’t forget that either. It’s a combination of a lot of things but the potential is really high.”

Mailloux’s Restored Confidence

For the first time of his young career, Logan Mailloux began the season with a spot on a NHL roster. The first impressions with the new organization did not go well. In his first nine games, he had no points and minus-12 rating. Blues head coach Jim Montgomery sat him four times as a healthy scratch during that sequence.

The Blues made a difficult decision of assigning their new acquisition to their AHL affiliate in Springfield for five games. During that time span, he scored twice before returning to St. Louis. In his second game back, he obtained his first point with the Blues with an assist against the New Jersey Devils.

Mailloux is currently on a third pairing role for St. Louis playing with Cam Fowler. Montgomery and his staff still have work to bring out his full potential but they are very pleased with his development.

“I think the young man’s done a real good job since he’s been back here,” said Montgomery, speaking to Blues beat reporter Lou Korac. “He showed tremendous character coming back from the cut and playing real good minutes for us. […] So yes, we’re really happy with his development.”

“(He moves) his feet better offensively and defensively, to have a good gap to support offense, and he’s played with a snarl. He’s been physical. He’s a big man and we really encourage him to use that snarl.”

Rocket news

The Laval Rocket began the week with a 4-1 win at home against the Providence Bruins (Boston). Later in the week, they defeated the Belleville Senators (Ottawa) 5-2 on Friday, and the following night, the Senators snapped Laval’s six-game winning streak with 4-3 win.

The Rocket return to Place Bell to host the Toronto Marlies (Maple Leafs) on Wednesday and Friday, followed by a visit from the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday. Here are some notes from the recent games.

Jacob Fowler extended his personal winning streak to four games with the victories against the Bruins and the Senators. The sequence ended in the rematch when Fowler came into relief for Kaapo Kahknonen, after he allowed three goals on seven shots. Laval tied the game in the second period, but Fowler took the loss after giving up a late third‑period goal.
The Canadiens assigned Florian Xhekaj and Adam Engstrom to Laval for the double header in Belleville. Xhekaj had a good weekend, including two goals and one assist on Friday, while Engstrom obtained two assists.
Samuel Blais continued producing since joining the team. He added three assists during the week for a total of seven in five games.
Joshua Roy was the third member of the line with Xhekaj and Blais. He scored twice and added an assist against the Senators. Pascal Vincent gradually increased Roy’s defensive responsibilities by adding to the penalty kill and throwing him over the boards to protect leads at the final stages of the contest.
Alex Belzile is currently on a five-game scoring streak, with seven goals and one assist during the sequence.
Lucas Condotta did not dress for Saturday’s game in anticipation of the birth of his child. The captain has nine points in 22 games this season.