Justin Barron is Unnoticeable in All the Right Ways
Justin Barron hasn't needed to be flashy to find a spot on the Montreal Canadiens' blueline. His improved reliability in Laval got him a role in the NHL.
After Justin Barron scored his first goal of the year, Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St-Louis dished out a compliment in the post-game scrum that may appear like more of a jab on the surface.
“It’s hard to remember all his shifts, but all in all, if I didn’t notice a lot, it’s probably a good thing,” St-Louis said.
The coach remembered the goal the most, where the 21-year-old received a drop pass in front of the blueline, carried the puck into the slot and rifled it blocker side past Semyon Varlamov. But St-Louis elaborated a few minutes later.
“A bad play stays with a coach longer than a good play. Negative energy weighs way more than positive energy. For a defenseman, to not get noticed as much, it’s usually pretty good,” St-Louis said.
The thing is, Barron isn’t a flashy player. And he comes by it honestly. He takes pride in being a simple and reliable minute-munching rearguard.
“Alex Pietrangelo was a guy I used to love to watch,” Barron told The Hockey News. “He was kind of the player comparison of what I wanted to be. Can log big minutes, play on the power play and on the penalty kill. Play all those situations. That’s still the player I want to build towards becoming.”
Since the Canadiens recalled him from the AHL on Dec. 27, the 6-foot-2, 201-pound defenseman has climbed Montreal’s depth chart in a not-so-quiet way.
Barron recorded seven points in 20 games, averaged 15:55 per game and has become more comfortable so far. That all empowers him to be more effective in subtle ways while proving his offensive upside translates to the big leagues.
“A lot of times, someone like J.B. might be able to beat you with his mind, where it’s not necessarily flashy but he’s thinking the game at a really elite level,” said blueline partner Johnathan Kovacevic. “That’s why it may not stick out, but I know that when I’m watching him, I’m impressed. A lot of the guys on our back end know what he’s capable of.”
For Barron, who was acquired 11 months ago from the Colorado Avalanche in the Artturi Lehkonen trade, becoming an impactful player for Montreal this season was far from a seamless process.
After an underwhelming training camp showing, Barron was one of the team’s final training camp cuts and went to Laval.
He said the re-assignment stung even more, given the opportunity in front of him this season.
“I always try to keep the same mindset and put my best foot forward and try to show what I can do,” Barron said. “But obviously coming into this year, there was some open spots, whereas last year in Colorado, there really wasn’t. Without thinking about it too much, it probably changed (my mindset) a little bit.”
The mandate from the big club? Shore up your defensive game. The perceived “little” things — stick positioning, gap control, pinning players in the D-zone and boxing out the net front — are prerequisites to reaching the NHL.
“We talk about floor and ceiling — there’s a terrific ceiling for J.B., but he had to take care of the floor,” St-Louis explained. “That’s what he did in Laval.”
Under the tutelage of Rocket coach Jean-Francois Houle and Montreal director of hockey development Adam Nicholas, Barron refined those little details — putting him in line for a recall — all while adding a pep in his step. Barron recorded 16 points in 25 games and developed into one of the AHL’s best defensemen.
“When he decided to provide some offense and jump in the play, he was really dangerous,” Houle said.
A lot of that was a byproduct of his elite hockey IQ, Houle added.
“He sees the ice well. He reads plays ahead of time – he knows what the next play is,” he said. “Playing with the puck is one thing, but 90 percent of the game is without the puck, so knowing where to position your body in the defensive zone is a very important trait for a young defenseman. J.B.’s well on his way to be in the NHL for a long time.”
In many ways, Barron should be categorized as an offensive defenseman. That’s true in many respects, though he’s not necessarily the quintessential definition of one — a polar opposite, stylistically, from puck transporters such as Cale Makar and Erik Karlsson.
However, the way he drives the play forward is a prelude to offensive chances.
“For a defenseman, to not get noticed as much, it’s usually pretty good.” - Martin St-Louis
St-Louis shied away from nailing down Barron’s ceiling when asked after that Islanders game. However, he did say he thought his greatest contributions, offensively, would be in transition, as opposed to inside the blueline.
“He has the ability to do that. To me, transporting the puck — you think about the Makars who can go goal line to goal line, but to me, it’s more important to advance the puck,” St-Louis said. “There’s times where you have to skate with it. But you can’t have your mind made up, ‘I’m just going to go coast-to-coast right now.’ J.B. is able to skate it when he has to, but also advance it as well.”
The way he’s racked up points lately — with his seven points coming within the last 13 games — isn’t sustainable, but Barron gauges his success differently.
“Sometimes, there’s going to be nights where the puck’s not on your stick as much, or you’re not really getting those chances you want offensively,” Barron said. “Especially on those nights, that’s where consistency in this league is so important.
“You still have to be able to do those little things — like getting back hard to pucks, or breaking pucks out — that may not be as noticeable, but are effective for the team at the end of the day.”
In other words, Barron has become noticeably unnoticeable in a great way. After improving on the basics at his floor, he can now start working toward his ceiling.