Philippe Maillet: one of the Rocket’s best players last year leaves for Europe

On July 1, Kent Hughes was fairly quiet on the free-agent market. He missed out on Jonathan Marchessault, so his only catch was Alex Barré-Boulet, who will be fighting for a position in the NHL.

Of course, he also signed Juraj Slafkovský for eight years, which was the big move of the day.

That said, a year earlier, the GM had been even quieter. He had traded Joel Edmundson to Washington, but his only picks on the free agent market were Brady Keeper and Philippe Maillet, two guys to help the Rocket.

And in the 2023-24 season, Maillet was pretty solid. The 31-year-old veteran amassed 53 points in 67 games, becoming a big part of Jean-François Houle’s lineup.

In the end, however, Maillet will have only been a temporary fixture in the Habs organization: the veteran will continue his career in Switzerland for the 2024-25 season.

He will join HC Ambri-Piotta.

NATIONAL LEAGUE | HCAP extends contract of Virtanen, signs Philippe Maillet #HCAP #AHL https://t.co/GV7NiLMet0

– swisshockeynews.ch (@SwissHockeyNews) July 28, 2024

In reality, we’re not necessarily talking about a player who had a big part to play in the Canadiens’ future. That said, he was one of the few veterans on a young Laval roster, and he was one of the club’s best players last year.

On the one hand, this may open up a spot for a youngster (like Owen Beck, for example)… but on the other hand, it’s going to take veterans to surround the youngsters.

The question is whether a guy like Alex Barré-Boulet could “replace” Maillet if the Habs cut him and he doesn’t make the waivers. That said, Barré-Boulet is coming to town to fight for an NHL job, while Maillet was far less likely to get one.

Could the Habs be looking for another veteran on the open market, with the avowed aim of bringing an experienced player into the Laval dressing room? The question arises.

Pascal Vincent will have to deal without one of the Rocket’s best players of the last season, who was also one of its few veterans. I can’t wait to see if the Habs intend to replace him in some way.