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2024 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #18 Justin Barron

Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Introduction

At the 2022 trade deadline, Justin Barron was seen as one of the top assets acquired by the Montreal Canadiens, in return for what was likely their biggest asset: Artturi Lehkonen. Lehkonen went on to win the Stanley Cup in Colorado, and while Barron went straight to the NHL and played five games before a season-ending injury, he has struggled to stake a claim to a roster spot in the NHL.

It’s easy to forget that Barron is still 22 years old, as many either assume he’s older because of how long he has been in the consciousness of hockey fans dating back to a blood-clot issue in his draft year of 2020 (the same year Montreal selected Kaiden Guhle), and his appearance at the 2021 World Juniors for Canada. Unlike Guhle, who has seemingly secured his long-term spot (and contract), Barron is in a battle on what has become a very crowded blue line.

Last season, he split his time between the NHL and AHL, playing 48 games in Montreal and 32 with the Laval Rocket. Barron was called up to finish the season in the NHL, playing seven games before being sent down to Laval for their playoff push over the final weekend of the season.

Elite Prospects

His scoring ability was not really the issue. His seven NHL goals were actually second-best on the team’s blue line behind only Mike Matheson. With only six assists, though, he finished fifth in points among defencemen.

That ratio reversed in Laval, where he added more assists, but did not really produce offensively like he would have been expected. He had the same number of points as Arber Xhekaj did in Laval, but Xhekaj played fewer games, and offence is seen as a smaller part of his game.

Voting

Barron’s votes were all right around his eventual spot, with three of the panellists hitting his landing spot at 18. The community had him one spot higher, while others had him lower in the top 25. This is the spot where the rankings start to involve NHL players and top prospects, and Barron is in a group of players fighting for spots on the depth chart.

Some community members had Barron as high as the top 10, likely due to his experience at the NHL level, while a few people had him outside of the top 25 altogether.

Top 25 Under 25 History

2023: #11 2022: #6

Barron’s position in the rankings is a typical story. With the improved organizational depth, if you aren’t moving up the rankings, you’re being passed. He debuted in the organization at #6 before falling five spots to #11 last year, and another seven spots this year.

History of #18

Year #18
2023 Filip Mesar
2022 Jayden Struble
2021 Rafaël Harvey-Pinard
2020 Jan Mysak
2019 Michael McNiven
2018 Michael McNiven
2017 Brett Lernout
2016 Lukas Vejdemo
2015 Tim Bozon
2014 Dalton Thrower
2013 Darren Dietz
2012 Tim Bozon
2011 Brendon Nash
2010 Gabriel Dumont

Strengths

There are a lot of things to like about Barron when he’s on. The enduring image I have of him was how good he looked in his first five-game sample after the trade, followed by how lost he looked in training camp the next season. Confidence seems to be a big factor with Barron. His first trip to the AHL after the trade in 2022-23 got him back on track. It helped his game to the point that he was invited to Team Canada at that year’s World Championship. He was also named to the AHL All-Star Game that year, but didn’t participate because he had already been recalled to the NHL.

When he’s at his best, he’s an offence-driver. He can move the puck, find teammates, and he has the ability to put the puck in the back of the net or find teammates in the right position to do so. He’s also a right-handed shot which gives him more opportunity to find a spot.

He has shown the ability to help the second power-play unit, and his overall numbers when he’s on the ice look favourable compared to other defencemen on the team. The issue with Barron is that he just hasn’t shown enough consistency.

Weaknesses

When Barron is off his game, it becomes a major issue. It’s not the amount of times he plays badly, it’s the quality of chance he gives up. There might not be a player in the organization whose mistakes are as evident as Barron’s.

The biggest issue he needs to fix is his consistency and his coverage scanning in the defensive zone. He simply doesn’t create enough offence for the defensive issues he has shown at the NHL level. His first stint in Laval saw him focus on his gap control, something that the team wanted him to work on.

Another concern with Barron is that when he’s off his game, his strengths are neutralized. I go back to that first training camp and it was evident that he was struggling and wasn’t on his game. Going to Laval helped get that back, but with the increased competition for roster spots, it’s not an ideal spot for him to be. He tends to rush his play at times, which leads to errors like the puck jumping over his stick or mishandling it at the blue line.

Projection

Despite being just 22, the clock is ticking on Barron, and there might be a decision the organization needs to make on him as soon as October. This is the first year he will require waivers to go down to the American Hockey League, which means the team has a very real incentive to keep him in the NHL and not risk losing him.

The rest comes down to Barron. If he struggles at training camp and young players like Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, Adam Engström, and David Reinbacher impress (defencemen ahead of Barron in this ranking who are waivers-exempt), then the numbers game becomes an issue for him.

I mentioned before that if you’re not moving up on the ranking, then others are passing you. That’s what happened with Barron. Just among blue-liners, he was passed by five players who were behind him last year, and a sixth (Bogdan Konyushkov) is sneaking up on him. It’s hard to say that a 22-year-old is in a make-or-break season, but for the purposes of his spot in the Canadiens organization, it kind of is.

Montreal would love Barron to make the decision to keep him in the NHL easy, if for nothing else than to kick the decision down the road and have time to evaluate the prospects a bit more. If Barron slips up, though, there surely will be a group of players looking for his spot. After two up-and-down seasons since being acquired, it can even be said the decision isn’t solely up to Barron and his play, either.

Between his profile and the strength of the organization, it has even led to internal chats at EOTP wondering if a move to forward wouldn’t be beneficial for everyone involved.

Jessika Lemay from Tout sur le Hockey joins the podcast to talk about Justin Barron’s development, chances and his new contract:

Timestamps:
1:20 – Justin Barron
3:30 – Is the ranking for Justin Barron a fair ranking (behind Struble, Harris, Engström – to mention a few)?
5:00 – The strengths of Justin Barron
8:30 – Development during the upcoming season.
11:30 – A Jeff Petry kind of player?
15:00 – Expectations for the upcoming season?
17:30 – Chances of a long playoff run for Laval this season?

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