Justin Barron doesn't seem open to the idea of playing for the Laval Rocket, and that could be a problem

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Jeff Drouin
September 18, 2022 (2:54 PM)

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Among the players to watch for the Habs when training camp opens in less than a week, there will certainly be young defenseman Justin Barron. In fact, he has already been on the ice for a few days as he participates in the team's rookie camp.

Acquired from the Avalanche last March in the deal that sent Artturi Lehkonen to Colorado, the 20-year-old defenseman played a few games with the Habs at the end of the season, where he scored his first career NHL goal.

He has looked good under the circumstances and as Charles-Alexis Brisebois of Danslescoulisses.com reports, the young defenseman has only one goal in mind for the 2022-2023 season.

"My goal is to stay the whole season in Montreal.

I thought I had a good season last year (with the Avalanche's club-school). Now I'm focused on staying with the Habs."

He definitely wants to stay in Montreal.

That's what he said to RDS reporter Eric Leblanc. Barron feels he did well enough last year to earn a full-time NHL job this fall. Last year, he played 43 games with the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche's AHL feeder team, where he recorded 20 points.

But is that enough to say that he is now a full-time NHL defenseman?

At this point, it's pretty hard to say. Although he showed some good things during his short stint with the Habs last year, it may be too early to say that Barron is guaranteed a spot with the big club this fall.

What works in his favor right now is that the Habs' right side of the defense is pretty weak with only David Savard and Chris Wideman as established defensemen.

If Kent Hughes were to acquire a veteran at the blue line, Barron could very well go back to school with the Laval Rocket, which might not be a bad idea. However, knowing that he really seems uninterested in playing in the AHL, could that be a problem? The question is asked.

These days, more and more young people are clearly expressing their displeasure with being in the AHL. We're not saying that's the case with Barron, but it's something to keep an eye on.

Anyway, we agree that it's not the end of the world either for a 20 year old defenseman to go back to the AHL to hone his game, but one thing is for sure, the Canadiens' management will do everything they can to mentor the young man as best they can because Barron has a very promising future in the NHL. He only has to trust his managers, even if it would be a big disappointment for him to start the season with the Rocket.