Barron keen to show Habs brass he belongs
Injuries to defensive corps presents another NHL opportunity for blueliner
It appeared defenceman Justin Barron was destined to complete the season playing for AHL Laval, but then Kaiden Guhle suffered a concussion and the Canadiens lost Arber Xhekaj to season-ending shoulder surgery.
Just like that, Barron was back with Montreal last weekend. And with the regular season ending next Tuesday, Barron will most likely finish the year with the Canadiens, giving him more opportunities to impress management. He knows people will be watching.
“These games are certainly important,” Barron said this week before the Canadiens embarked on a three-game road trip. “I feel like I've played enough games up here now. The coaching staff and everyone are familiar with my game.
“I feel good about my game, feel like I really improved some things in Laval,” he added. “It's a good opportunity to show management and the coaching staff I took the time to improve those things in my game, and how it can translate up here.”
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Barron was sent to the Rocket in late January to improve the defensive aspects of his game. Management also wanted him to become more physical and difficult to play against, given his size. In 30 games with Laval, Barron scored two goals — one on the power play — and 11 points. He was a minus-5.
Still only 22, the former Colorado first-round (25th overall) draft choice in 2020 believes he became more of a complete player in the minors. Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said the improvement has been noticeable.
“We're really happy with the way players come back from Laval. Or show up,” St. Louis said earlier this week. “It's nice to see because we have a lot of young players there. (Barron) is doing the things we know he's capable of doing. I think his mind's in a better place to do that. When he went down, we didn't see that as much. I think it was a confidence thing.
“When your confidence is down as a player, you try to survive in this league versus living,” he added. “Since he has been back, yes, there's mistakes — every player's going to make mistakes — but I feel like he's living on the ice. He's not trying to survive. That's when he's at his best.”
In 44 games this season, Barron has six goals and 12 points. He's a minus-4. In the three games since his return — against Toronto, the New York Rangers and Philadelphia — St. Louis has been increasing Barron's ice time while teamed with Jayden Struble. Barron had four shots over the three games, was an even player and after playing slightly less than 16 minutes against the Leafs, played more than 18 minutes against both the Rangers and Flyers.
While there were some defensive miscues against Toronto, Barron was more involved offensively against New York, occasionally found around the Rangers' net.
“We have a ton of freedom, especially in the offensive zone once we get some movement going on,” Barron said. “Freedom to make our reads and jump down the walls or into the middle. In terms of reading the play, that's always been something I've focused on in my game — trying to read the play at the right times, be able to jump in and maybe catch somebody by surprise.”
Barron believes he was playing well before Christmas, but his overall game began to diminish, for whatever reasons, following the holiday break. He's also not naive and has seen the depth of blue-line prospects in the system, including Laval defencemen Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher, both former first-round draft choices.
“There's always going to be that internal competition,” he said. “I feel like I know what I'm capable of. It's about finishing this year strong, coming in next year, kind of like a fresh start.”