Canadiens reassign 21-year-old defenseman

The Canadiens returned defenseman Logan Mailloux to AHL Laval Wednesday, per a team announcement. They now have two open spots on their active roster, one of which will be used to activate Kaiden Guhle from injured reserve in the coming days. The team said he’s traveling on their road trip after missing their last five games with an upper-body injury.

Justin Barron is also nearing a return from the upper-body injury that’s kept him out for the past three games and will be on the trip, per the club. Mailloux’s playing time would be limited with those two defenders returning to health. He’ll instead head back to the AHL to log in for the top four minutes.

Mailloux, 21, has looked decent in limited NHL action so far. The 2021 first-round pick was recalled nearly two weeks after Guhle’s injury. He’s played in five straight, notching a goal and two assists with a -4 rating. He’s gotten his 6-foot-3, 213-lb frame involved physically, posting seven blocks and six hits while averaging 16:30 per game. But he still has some work to do away from the puck. His possession metrics aren’t promising, given his sheltered offensive usage. The Habs controlled only 44.3% of shot attempts and 39.2% of expected goals, with Mailloux on the ice at even strength, although 63.2% of his zone starts coming in the offensive end.

Before his call-up earlier this month, Mailloux scored twice and added a pair of assists in his first two appearances for Laval. He finished third on the minor-league club in scoring last season with 47 points (14 G, 33 A) in 72 games and was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team. He’s still on his entry-level contract and under contract through the 2025-26 season at an $875K cap hit.