The Canadian’s defensive formation these last two games against Detroit was not concocted at random. Despite the thinness of the sample, we wanted to obtain certain information to draft the organization chart in anticipation of the next season. Hence the auditions of Lane Hutson, 20, and Logan Mailloux, 21, in leading roles.
Positions will be won at training camp, obviously, but when it opens, names will already be on the board, in hierarchical order. We can move them according to performances during the preparatory meetings.
We can easily envisage a first pair made up of Mike Matheson on the left and Kaiden Guhle on the right, very effective together in the second half of the season.
We looked all season for a candidate on the left to complete the top 4 with David Savard. We were treated sometimes to Arber Xhekaj, sometimes to the surprising Jayden Struble, sometimes Jordan Harris. For a time in the fall, Guhle and Justin Barron were a decent pair.
Lane Hutson, if he maintains the level of play offered during these two games against Detroit, could solve the problem. He was said to be very difficult to evaluate before seeing him in action in the NHL due to his small size for a defenseman and his unique style of play. Martin St-Louis was not afraid to use it profusely during these two meetings, almost 23 minutes on average.
The Detroit Red Wings, with their small wingers, are not the most terrifying team on the forecheck. On the other hand, they were fighting for a place in the playoffs and offered very strong opposition to the Canadian.
Hutson appeared very confident. Amazing calm with the puck, audacity, great mobility. With a tie in the third on Tuesday, we saw him raise his game a notch, until this key play to allow Juraj Slafkovsky to score the goal which, we believed, would make the difference.
Despite his size of 5 feet 10 inches and 161 pounds, Hutson is solid on skates and his intelligence allows him to win the majority of his battles for possession of the puck against bigger opponents. In short, he does not represent a vulnerable defender in the defensive zone.
It is not yet possible to conclude whether Hutson will start the next season in Montreal or Laval. Kent Hughes was kind enough to admit during the review that this boy seemed at home in the NHL, but that we were going to make the best decision based on his performance in the rookie tournament and in preparatory games, and for the benefit of his long-term development. term. However, bet a little two on Hutson.
The murmurs in the crowd when Hutson took possession of the puck, the clamor when he appeared in the opposing zone with the disc or in the center of the ice for the shootout do not lie. This boy drafted at the end of the second round in 2022 with the choice obtained from the Edmonton Oilers for Brett Kulak could become the most exciting defender in Montreal since a certain Subban.
The other important factor to remember: the best players on the team, Suzuki, Slafkovsky and company, the were looking for already on the ice to give him the puck. This mark of confidence for a young man taking his first steps in the NHL is astonishing. Hutson’s poise suddenly made Harris, Struble, Barron and company seem rather ordinary.
How will the third pair be made up? This is an interesting question. Jordan Harris and Justin Barron will have a special status starting next year: unlike Arber Xhekaj, Logan Mailloux, Jayden Struble, David Reinbacher and Adam Engström, they will have to be subject to waivers if they are demoted to the American League.
Management does not seem keen on the idea of losing players on waivers, regardless of their status. We lived with the ineptitude of Jesse Ylönen all winter and a menage à trois goalkeepers for fear of having players stolen. Don’t be surprised if Harris and Barron change sides this summer if Kent Hughes receives a suitable offer.
It would also open the door to others. Mailloux played a good match on Tuesday. He is strong, sturdy, has good mobility for a 6-foot-3, 220-pound defender, makes a good first pass when not under too much pressure and good offensive instincts.
However, it may have a tendency to fall asleep at times in defensive territory. It never lasts very long, nor very often, but he sometimes becomes hypnotized by the puck and consequently loses a fraction of a second of reaction. He will have to correct this aspect because for the rest, he has many qualities.
In the long term, young David Reinbacher nevertheless remains a more complete defender. But if Barron is still in the picture, we expect to see Mailloux and Reinbacher start the next season in Laval for the contractual reasons cited above.
On the left, it could be between Struble, Harris and Xhekaj, but the potential emergence of Hutson could make the presence of a vindicator like Xhekaj essential in the lineup.
Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic will spend the summer wondering if they have a future with the organization after being cut from the lineup in the final game of the season.
A big summer for Kyle Dubas?
PHOTO NATHAN DENETTE, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Kyle Dubas, president and general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are therefore excluded from the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The first round pick given to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Erik Karlsson will be located at 13e or 14e rank, according to the results of the last matches of the season.
Pittsburgh nevertheless obtained a second round pick from the Carolina Hurricanes for Jake Guentzel, in addition to some prospects. This pick will move to the first round if the Hurricanes reach the finals, but will be located at 31e or 32e rank if so. The Penguins have their first-round pick in 2025, but gave up their second-round pick to the Canadiens to get rid of Jeff Petry.
The Penguins finally have some top prospects in Brayden Yager, a right-handed center, 14e overall pick in 2023, 95 points in 57 games in Moose Jaw, and defenseman Owen Pickering, 21e overall picks in 2022.
If president and general manager Kyle Dubas still believes he has the team to win the Stanley Cup next year, with this core approaching forty, he will opt for the status quo and gradually integrate young people into his training. Kind of like the Capitals did. Otherwise, let’s see if he will be more aggressive in a rejuvenation phase.
reference: www.lapresse.ca