It's no secret that Logan Mailloux has had an extremely tough start to the season for the Blues. The former Canadien acquired by the Blues in the offseason in a trade that shipped out Zach Bolduc is the biggest target of critics of this team, and it's not unjustified.
Logan Mailloux's Growing Pains
Coming into the year, Mailloux had played just 8 games at the NHL level, putting up two goals and 3 assists for a -4 plus-minus. This shows why the conventional wisdom regarding Mailloux is that he's an offensive threat from the blue line, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired.
This season, Blues fans were hopeful that he would be able to learn the defensive scheme of the team while still maintaining his offensive production. So far, he has failed to show his ability to execute either of those. Coming into the game in New Jersey, he had yet to put up a single point, was consistently blowing defensive assignments, and was an abyssmal -14 plus-minus despite relatively low ice time - just over 12 minutes per game.
Putting It All Together in New Jersey
Mailloux was finally able to put up a performance that the Blues had been hoping for on Wednesday night against the Devils. He had two shots on goal, was aggressive with the puck in the offensive zone, and even secured his first point in St. Louis with the secondary assist on Cam Fowler's goal just 2:16 into the game.
Logan did have a few defensive hiccups, but Jordan Binnington had a great night and was able to prevent any goals as a direct result of Mailloux's mistakes. These kinds of moments are inevitable for a young defenseman, but the offensive output finally showing up bodes well for Mailloux on both ends of the ice as he gradually regains his confidence on the blue line. It's not going to be a switch that's flipped instantly for number 23 and there will be many setbacks, but last night's game is a proof of concept on Mailloux and if he can reach his potential the Blues could have a great d-man for many years to come.