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St. Louis Blues Sitting Young Defenceman

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After a rough four games to start the new season, the St. Louis Blues are making a lineup change regarding a young player. Defenceman Logan Mailloux will be out of the lineup for the Blues’ next game. Matthew Kessel is expected to enter the lineup for the first time this season.

Mailloux Out of the Lineup

Mailloux played in the first four games of the season for the Blues. Unfortunately, he was noticeable in the wrong ways. In the team’s Opening Night loss, Mailloux was responsible for a few turnovers that led to goals against. This past Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks, Mailloux was on the ice for four goals against. Furthermore, Mailloux had another turnover that led to a goal-ahead goal early in the second period.

Mailloux was not the sole reason the Blues lost those games. Joel Hofer struggled pretty badly between the pipes on Wednesday. Wednesday was a collection of multiple things going wrong for the team. However, Mailloux has been a negative presence on the ice this season.

Coach’s Plan

Head coach Jim Montgomery has a plan as to how he wants to handle Mailloux’s situation. Mailloux had only eight games of NHL experience prior to this season. He is still a young player trying to find his groove in the league. While he is not performing and does not need to be in the lineup, Montgomery has a plan on how to help the young defenceman grow as a player.

After practice on Friday, Montgomery explained that Mailloux leaving the lineup is not about punishing him, but rather to help him reset. After the first four games, many would agree Mailloux needs a reset. The question is, how many games will Mailloux spend in the press box? Will he be out just a game then return to the lineup next Tuesday?

Montgomery did mention how they are going to play the “long game” with Mailloux. This means they are going to stick to the plan that best helps Mailloux’s development. His return to the lineup may be a game-by-game basis. Kessel may impress in the lineup, leading to Montgomery not wanting to remove him just yet. We will just have to wait and see.

AHL Stint?

Some may wonder if it would benefit Mailloux to go down to the American Hockey League. Sending him to the minor leagues would help him develop while also staying in the AHL’s lineup consistently.

For a player as young as Mailloux, a stint with the AHL may be on the Blues’ radar if it is deemed necessary. As of right now, the Blues are not at that point yet.

Mailloux Struggles; Bolduc Excels

The Blues acquired Mailloux in a July trade with the Montreal Canadiens. The Blues sent young forward Zachary Bolduc to Montreal. Bolduc was coming off a 19-goal season with the Blues last year and has scored three goals in five games with the Habs. Given Bolduc’s success and Mailloux’s struggles, it is not unreasonable for Blues’ fans to feel some frustrations with the trade at the moment.

However, it is important to remember how young Mailloux is. This will take some time. This does not mean it will work out, but it does mean it will take some time before we get a definite answer as to whether or not it was a good trade.

Main Photo: Bob Frid- Imagn Images

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