Mailloux was traded “one-for-one” to the St. Louis Blues for Zachary Bolduc. This is both a significant risk for the Blues and a big show of confidence in Mailloux’s game. The risk is that he has not yet established himself as a full-time NHL player and can appear completely lost at times in his own end. However, the Blues must believe he can transition to the NHL game right away, as they have a top-six spot available for him (currently) with the contract structure on defense. Mailloux should start on the bottom pair, as he has Faulk and Parayko ahead of him on the right side, but he may be primed to take the reins of 1PP right away. He will be a boom/bust type pick in fantasy hockey if taken early in the draft, but would be a smart gamble if you can manage to get him in later rounds.

After being one of the last cuts in camp, Mailloux looked to round out his game at the AHL level. The offense took a bit of a hit, but he’s become such a better player. The offensive instincts are still there, as we saw during his NHL call-up when he had four points in seven games (including 19 shots). He had six points in 13 playoff games for Laval, which tied him for fourth on the team, tops among defenseman alongside David Reinbacher. If he doesn’t make the team out of training camp in the fall, he’ll likely be a midseason call-up and become an NHLer for good at that point.

Mailloux, after a slow start to the season where former Laval Rocket head coach JF Houle called him out, turned things around. He has done exceptional work to grow a professional character and mentality, and once that mental switch took place, the on-ice results came in spades. An AHL all-star in his first season, his 47 point performance allowed him to earn his NHL debut in the final game of the season, where he got an assist. The NHL, as well as the Canadiens management have clearly given him a vow of faith, and his off-ice work has allowed him this opportunity. Now that Mailloux has adjusted himself to the pros, he has put up one of the most impressive rookie defenseman performances in the AHL for the Canadiens since PK Subban. While Mailloux will never have quite the level of hockey IQ that Subban had, their big frames and big shots make the comparison hard to deny. His development over the last 12 months has been nothing short of meteoric, and the Canadiens will have a big decision to make at training camp as he fights to earn a full-time NHL spot. Having found chemistry next to Arber Xhekaj with the Laval Rocket, that pairing could realistically be getting bottom-four minutes in the NHL as soon as this year, but almost certainly in 2025-26.

Many of the analysts who believed Mailloux would be an instant impact player for the Canadiens have been silenced by his play this week at the Canadiens’ prospect tournament. His lack of scanning has been his biggest woe, leading him into difficult situations and causing turnovers aplenty. He did improve as the tournament went along, but he has a lot of work to do if he ever wants to make the NHL.

Reports indicate that Mailloux has been given the green-light by Gary Bettman to play in the NHL. Following two years of work towards improving himself as a person, it is hoped that Mailloux has become a better person and player. It will be interesting to see how Mailloux’s first professional season goes down.