When the Montreal Canadiens officially announced that Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj would not accompany the team to California for the three-game trip, many fans hoped that Logan Mailloux could finally make his NHL debut.
However, it was 22-year-old Jayden Struble who got the opportunity to play his first career game in the Canadiens' uniform. He performed very well, playing effectively in his own territory and supporting the attack at opportune moments.
However, this decision was somewhat criticized by some fans who are eager to see the 2021 first-round pick with the big club. Nevertheless, according to many observers associated with the activities of the Laval Rocket, Kent Hughes did his homework. Indeed, according to them, Jayden Struble is clearly the best defender of the farm team since the start of the regular season.
Furthermore, as Stéphane Leroux pointed out, a very impressive statistic probably played a role in the decision-making process. Although the Laval Rocket has a goal differential of -12, Jayden Struble boasts a differential of +4, in contrast to Logan Mailloux, who is currently at -10.
This means that the general manager of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes, preferred Struble over Mailloux for the simple and unique reason that the former Northeastern defenseman is superior to his teammate this season.
