The St. Louis Blues could already be banging their heads against the wall over a seemingly minor summer trade.
The trade involved swapping former first-round picks with the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens, after acquiring Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, had a surplus of defensemen.
The Blues, for their part, had a surplus of forwards, particularly with the emergence of players like Jimmy Snuggerud, Dylan Holloway, and Jake Neighbours.
So, there was an opportunity for both Montreal and St. Louis to swap players in what could be called a “hockey trade.”
That situation led to the Canadiens sending Logan Mailloux to the Blues. In exchange, the Blues sent Zack Bolduc to the Habs.
The trade seemed innocuous enough. Both clubs gave up on either prospect, offering them a fresh start elsewhere. But what neither team could have predicted, at least with pinpoint accuracy, is how well each player would fit in from the start.
Canadiens fans called the team out for their experiment involving Bolduc and Russian phenom Ivan Demidov on their second line. Fans hoped the Canadiens could land an established top-six forward, but no deal materialized.
Fast-forward to three games into the season, and Bolduc has scored in each game. He looks like a legit top-six forward and has made the Canadiens look like bandits in this trade.
Of course, it’s only been three games. But there’s no ignoring just how well Bolduc has fit into Montreal’s lineup.
As for Mailloux, the jury is still out on the young blueliner.
Blues, Mailloux, going through growing pains
The Blues kept Logan Mailloux on the Opening Night roster. He’s been skating on the bottom pairing with Tyler Tucker. But as my colleague Joe DeMarini noted, the Mailloux-Tucker pairing could be the Blues’ weakest link.
That’s a tough sentiment considering the hopes St. Louis has for Mailloux. Perhaps pairing Mailloux, a rookie, with an experienced NHL veteran like, say, Ryan Suter might have been the best way to go.
But pairing Tucker and Mailloux has not paid off in the way Jim Montgomery might have hoped. Like the situation with Bolduc, it’s still early in the season. Mailloux hasn’t even played a dozen NHL games yet.
However, there may come a time when fans may question Mailloux’s role on the team. The Blues will be patient in waiting for the 22-year-old to ease into a full-time job. But then again, the Blues consider themselves a playoff team. So, patience may not be quite as abundant.
This argument might become moot as the season progresses. But you have to think that the early returns are no bueno for a Blues team that’s looking to upgrade in any way it can.