Justin Barron leaving Montreal? The defenseman just revealed a discussion with the Canadiens' management

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Elias Edmonson
October 5, 2023 (10:09)

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For the second consecutive year, defenseman Justin Barron is struggling to make a good impression during the team's training camp.

Despite an impressive haul of 15 points, including four goals, in 39 NHL games last year, which amounted to an average of 0.64 points per game, ranking him 29th best in the league during that period, his spot is far from guaranteed this season.

While many believe he could be on his way out of Montreal to start the new campaign in Laval, the 21-year-old revealed he had a significant meeting with the club's management.

The organization laid out what the defenseman absolutely needs to work on to secure his place in the NHL for good.

"Last year, at the end of the season, I was clearly told what I needed to work on. This year, I spoke a bit with the coaches, but not that much. I know what I need to do. The message they gave me was clear."

Justin Barron

With commendable openness, he even confessed the areas he needs to improve upon in the eyes of the Canadiens.

"Be better in my zone and be harder to play against. Essentially, they want me to be more stringent about the distance I allow between the puck carrier and me. If I recover the puck better and have it in my possession more often, I can create more offensively."

Justin Barron

Considering the Canadiens currently have guaranteed spots for Michael Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, David Savard, Arber Xhekaj, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Jordan Harris, and the fact that the team plans to use seven defensemen during the season, it appears that Justin Barron is in direct competition with Gustav Lindstrom and Mattias Norlinder for the last spot on the defensive unit.

Given that Barron is only 21 and has a promising future, I'd rather see him start the year with the Rocket, playing a predominant role in the American League and working on these aspects of his game, rather than playing one game every two or three with the Canadiens.

The role of a seventh defenseman is far from ideal for the development of a young player like Barron, who has the potential to be a very useful defenseman in the NHL someday.

With one last preseason game scheduled for Saturday, the next few days promise to be interesting to watch for the final cuts.

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Where would you prefer to see Justin Barron start the season?
In Montreal, as a 7th defenseman	22	19.3 %
In Laval, as a first-pair defenseman	92	80.7 %
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