While the Montreal Canadiens are preparing for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, their farm team, the Laval Rocket, is in the midst of a playoff push that carries elevated expectations.

With good reason, too.

Laval finished the season as the best club in the AHL, securing a franchise-best regular-season record of 48-19-3-2 in the process.

That being said, great results in the regular season lose all value once the playoffs commence, a lesson the Toronto Maple Leafs have failed to understand for the better part of the decade.

Pot shots at the Leafs aside, the playoffs are truly a different animal.

Laval’s excellent regular-season record is the last thing on anyone’s mind as they prepare to face the Rochester Americans on Sunday, a game that will decide which team will move on to face the Charlotte Checkers in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Laval Rocket Defensive Situation

Now that David Savard has retired from the NHL, the Canadiens will surely look to their top defensive prospects in Laval as the ideal internal options to fill the hole in the lineup.

Most would probably point to David Reinbacher or Logan Mailloux as the front-runners, but at the risk of invoking the ire of a large swath of fans, I’d argue neither is ready to make the jump to the NHL.

At least not yet.

I’m not attempting to sandbag prospects who are on the cusp, either.

That’s not my style.

The fact of the matter is that both players missed significant portions of key development seasons, and it’s quite apparent there’s still a lot to learn in the AHL, a perfectly normal situation for most prospects with NHL aspirations.

Mailloux, for example, is a dominant force in the offensive zone. He was one of the best players on the ice during two of the games versus Cleveland, and he had a solid start to the series versus Rochester. However, his defensive play still leaves a lot to be desired. Beyond blown coverage and poor gap control, there are still too many basic mistakes in his overall play to project him as an NHL-ready prospect. Giving away the puck in the defensive zone is not a big deal in the AHL, but it will lead to a rookie defenceman being benched in the NHL.

Reinbacher also struggles at times, with a varying level of confidence that directly impacts his decision-making. Keep in mind, the AHL is a fast league, but compared to the NHL, you have ample time to execute plays. Again, that’s an issue that is perfectly normal in the minor leagues, but it simply won’t fly in the NHL.

Defensive prowess can be learned, and the speed of execution can improve, but both those issues must be rectified before the Canadiens can count on either player performing well in a permanent NHL assignment.

In that vein, I’d argue that both defencemen would be better off finishing their studies in the AHL before they’re considered legitimate options for the Canadiens lineup, as an early promotion carries a significant amount of risk. There are endless examples of players who were rushed through the minors, and placed in the NHL before they were ready, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue there’s been a laundry-list of defensive prospects who spent too much time perfecting their game in the AHL.

Understandably, some will push back on the idea that Reinbacher and Mailloux are not ready to play in the NHL.

I get it, especially since we just witnessed Lane Hutson put together one of the best seasons from a rookie defenceman in league history.

ON TOPIC: Canadiens Calder Trophy Talk – The Strong Case For Lane Hutson

But we need to look at the big picture.

Ideally, we can adjust our expectations while keeping what’s best for either prospect in mind, especially from a long-term development standpoint.

Nuance is key, and patience is necessary.

On that note, if Montreal does want to find reinforcements on the farm, they could look to Adam Engstrom, the smooth-skating defenceman who was promoted to the top pairing once veteran Tyler Wotherspoon succumbed to a nagging injury.

Engstrom also has work to do, especially when it comes to his defensive coverage, but the fact that he’s been playing professional hockey since 2022 means that he’s gained a wealth of crucial experience, both in the regular season and the playoffs, and it shows whenever the puck is on his stick.

The biggest hang up is that he’s a left-handed defenceman, but his versatility may end up giving him the inside track on some of the other defensive prospects, as Engstrom has no issues playing on either side of the ice.

More importantly, his skating is elite, a crucial asset for a defenceman who is expected to drive the play from the back-end.

Things can and will change, but a promotion for Engstrom would also afford more time when it comes to the development of the defensive prospects who were drafted in the first round.

It’s probably the least exciting options from a fan standpoint, but it may end up being the best decision, both for the Canadiens and the prospects in question.

Joshua Roy brings Laval back into the game. Great work by Adam Engstrom to get the goalie moving. 3-1 Rochester. #LavalRocket pic.twitter.com/Z5CvDRcYdN

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 24, 2025