(Laval) Everything suggests that Logan Mailloux will be able to play in the NHL. In any case, that’s what Jeff Gorton, vice-president of hockey operations for the Canadiens, suggested on Monday. “It won’t be a problem,” he said.
A little less than a year ago, Gary Bettman, commissioner of the circuit, confirmed that the Canadian defender would not be able to skate in his league until he received special authorization to this effect. This would come following a meeting between the two men.
While playing in Sweden in 2020, Mailloux distributed an intimate photo of his sexual partner to his teammates. The local courts found him guilty of various charges and imposed a fine. The Canadian created a scandal in July 2021 by making him his first round draft pick.
The Ontario native, now 20 years old, seemed to make amends and his progress convinced the Habs to sign him a contract in October 2022. He has since concluded his junior career and is now preparing to make his professional debut .
Last July, he met Gary Bettman. Two weeks ago, journalist Renaud Lavoie, from TVA Sports, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the young man had received the green light from the NHL. However, neither the league nor the Canadian have confirmed this information to date. Bill Daly, Mr. Bettman’s right-hand man, even told La Presse that no decision had been made.
At the team’s golf tournament on Monday, Jeff Gorton suggested that the news was good… without offering a definitive answer on the subject.
The meeting between Mailloux and Bettman went well, said the manager. And the young man will be “in a good position” to play “if he makes it to the NHL.” If necessary, “we’ll talk again,” Gorton added. It is inferred here that final approval must still be issued by the league. “It won’t be a problem when the time comes,” the administrator said again.
It is indeed far from certain that Logan Mailloux will carve out a position with the Habs from his first training camp, given, on the one hand, the congestion in defense and, on the other hand, his inexperience. For the past year, however, the Canadian has treated him as a proper member of the organization. Even though he was injured, he remained with the team throughout the 2022 training camp. Earlier this summer, he participated in the club’s development camp, and he will be in the rookie tournament at over the next few days in Buffalo.
“We’ll let him try to make the team, and when the time comes to play in the NHL, he’ll be ready,” Gorton said.
The most likely scenario would be that he would be sold to the Laval Rocket. Even if, according to Jeff Gorton, Mailloux will also have to demonstrate his personal progress with the American League, it seems from the outset that the defender “will be OK” to evolve in this circuit. Contacts have already been established between the Canadian and the league to, we understand, facilitate the process when it comes time to demote him.
The Canadian makes Logan Mailloux his first draft pick. A few months earlier, the defender had been punished for a sex crime committed in Sweden.
Faced with popular opprobrium and the threat of losing long-time sponsors, Geoff Molson apologized to the population.
Logan Mailloux signs an entry contract with the Canadian.
Gary Bettman says Mailloux will not be able to play in the NHL without his authorization.
Mailloux and Bettman meet.
Jeff Gorton, VP of the Canadiens, says Logan Mailloux will likely be able to play in the NHL.
Fans don’t hold their breath: it’s probably in Europe that David Reinbacher will play during the upcoming season – unless he carves out a place in Montreal, obviously. The Austrian defender, the Canadian’s first-round pick in the most recent draft (5th overall), will participate in the club’s rookie camp over the coming days as well as the main training camp that will follow. For the rest, “we’ll see,” noted Jeff Gorton, CH vice-president of hockey operations. “I’m not saying it’s going to be like this or that, but it’s more likely that he’ll return to Europe for another season. » “Let’s give him the chance to do his best,” added the leader. Reinbacher could also join the Laval Rocket, but this last avenue does not seem favored by the organization at the moment.
Despite the team’s poor performance on the ice in recent years, ticket prices continue to rise. In the very last row of the Bell Centre, the cheapest individual tickets for some games reach $150. For the inaugural home game, against the Chicago Blackhawks, “dynamic pricing” set the floor price at $225 for tickets sold directly through Ticketmaster on the team’s website – those in “certified resale” are even more expensive. On this subject, the owner and president of the club, Geoff Molson, argued on Monday that “this is something that is happening across the league, in all the leagues”, this in order to “maintain salaries and all that costs in the organization”. “It’s not higher or lower than other teams in the league,” he added. Asked about the fact that the organization he heads is among the most profitable on the circuit, he simply retorted that this practice was not linked to the company’s profits. “I think a lot of other teams are quite profitable,” he said.
