The St. Louis Blues were not able to overtake the Dallas Stars in the first of six preseason games. There were ups and downs all over the ice, but in terms of seeing where this team is at, they seem to be moving in the right direction.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington was stellar in two periods of work, Justin Carbonneau shined brightly, and Logan Mailloux's first shifts as a Blue offer some insight into his future.
Let's talk about it.
Mailloux's time is now?
Alongside Philip Broberg, who has seriously upped his game in terms of moving the puck, Mailloux donned his no. 23 sweater for over 25 minutes of ice time. You wanted to see sample size; that was a decent chunk right there.
On Carbonneau's first goal of the preseason, and first goal at the NHL level, Mailloux helped out with an assist. With the goal occurring on the power play, this could be a very good look at the Blues power play unit of the future.
Is the next great quarterback of the Blues power play waiting in the wings?
The future picture of the Blues' defensive core most certainly has Mailloux in it. Many were skeptical of the trade for the young defenseman, which cost a blooming forward in Zack Bolduc. But, after the first game in the Blue Note, it might not have been all that bad.
Sure, the growing pains were there, but he was not the worst Blue of the night. That honor would have to, unfortunately, belong to Dalibor Dvorsky, who might have taken another step closer to Springfield than St. Louis. Maillux did the opposite, with the likelihood of him starting opening night becoming ever so clearer.
Standing in Mailloux's way is defensive prospect Matthew Kessel. He was also a great watch in the loss to Dallas, as he gathered five hits and blocked three shots in the meaningless game. These two are going to be a great battle over the next two weeks.