Sunday night's matchup against the Montreal Canadiens is a game that Logan Mailloux has been waiting for. After spending three seasons in the Canadiens organization, they traded him to the St. Louis Blues this past offseason. This was Mailloux's chance to stick it to his old organization and prove that trading him was a mistake. A little extra motivation to play harder and make a statement.
However, his "revenge" game did not get off to the start he hoped. Just 2:48 into the contest, Mailloux was called for a hooking, giving his old team the man advantage. But after that, Mailloux settled in and delivered a solid performance. While he did not have a point, he registered two hits and blocked two shots. This performance could be what gets him going and helps him start living up to expectations.
The game against the Canadiens could be the jump start Logan Mailloux needed
When the Blues acquired Mailloux during the offseason, they felt they had found a potential staple of their top four. Someone who could help generate some offense on the blueline, while providing strong physical play. With the Blues lacking a young NHL-ready defenseman, it seemed like a perfect match. But Mailloux has struggled splitting time between St. Louis and Springfield. He's only tallied two goals and an assist in 22 games between the two clubs.
This is a far cry from his production last season. During the 2024-25 season, Mailloux spent most of his time in the AHL, racking up 12 goals and 21 assists for 31 points in 63 games. He also had two goals and two assists in seven games with the Canadiens at the end of the season. It seemed like Mailloux's game would translate easily to the NHL and would be in store for a big rookie season.
Something is off this season with Mailloux. The advanced metrics show that these struggles are not the result of him getting unlucky. He has a 48.50 CF%, a 46.49 SCF%, and a 41.72 xG%. These numbers indicate that opponents are getting more scoring chances when Mailloux is on the ice. He was supposed to be an offensive defenseman, so the fact that these numbers are so low is concerning. It shows that Mailloux's game is not developing the way the Blues expected.
But this performance against the Canadiens could be what gets him going again. Sometimes, one decent game could give a player confidence and elevate their game to a new level. With Mailloux playing decently against his old team, it's something to build off of. If he can play well with a lot of attention on him, he can play well under any circumstance. We could be looking at the start of Mailloux's breakout.
Although it was not the flashiest performance, it could be just what Mailloux needs to start living up to expectations. Sometimes a little revenge can go a long way.