The St. Louis Blues had a different look to practice on Friday afternoon. Head coach Jim Montgomery labeled it with the following quote: "We’re going to blender it up."
One of those changes came on the defensive end, with one of the new acquisitions being moved to the press box, and another young up-and-comer is going to make his season debut.
Logan Mailloux, who was brought to the Blues in the Zack Bolduc trade over the summer, is going to be sat down for Matthew Kessel to make his debut with Tyler Tucker on the third pairing.
As much of a blow this might seem to Mailloux, this could be a blessing in disguise for the quote-on-quote "worst defenseman" on this team. How can that be so, and how can he bounce back?
Mailloux still has a chance to turn things around
It is important to remember that Mailloux has only been in the NHL as a whole for a total of 12 games. As a part of two completely different conferences, two different systems, and two different organizations, he has seen so much without a ton of time on the ice.
Mailloux is regarded as a big part of this Blues blueline, as the hope is that he will be another Colton Parayko. There have been flashes that he could potentially have that kind of skillset and impact on the game as Parayko, but it is still way too early to tell.
This benching comes after the worst game of his career against the Chicago Blackhawks. Mailloux was -1.72 in xGoals For Differential, which was the worst of a very bad Blues team that night. He was also at the bottom of the analytical barrel with a Corsi% of 34.4%.
But, with all of that said, the kid can turn things around. Kessel comes in as a fresh face, but not a long-term solution. Mailloux will once again get his turn, no matter what Kessel contributes on the ice. Unless it is jaw-dropping, that third-line spot still belongs to Mailloux.
Montgomery and company know how to motivate, and this is certainly a way of doing it. Let the kid see the game from another vantage point. Get the extra time in practice to refine your game. The goal here is to come back and be ready immediately, not another trial-and-error run.