MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- When the Montreal Canadiens made a splash on the trade front and acquired defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, Logan Mailloux felt like he was on borrowed time.

So when the defenseman was traded to the St. Louis Blues by the Canadiens for forward Zack Bolduc on Tuesday, there was perhaps a sense of relief, and one of appreciation that the 22-year-old will get the opportunity to be a full-time NHL player.

"After I’d seen the Dobson trade come in to Montreal, it was a little bit of a logjam there on the back end, to be honest," Mailloux admitted on Tuesday. "They’ve got some young guys there, some other guys as well. When that happened, I thought there might be a chance (of getting traded). I didn’t really know anything until today. I’m really excited to get to St. Louis and get the chance to play."

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said as much, when he announced that Mailloux, who has all of eight games' worth of experience at the NHL level, including seven last season (two goals, two assists), has a job here and it's up to him to keep it.

"We think he's NHL-ready now," Armstrong said. "I talked to him, I told him he'll have the opportunity to ... he has a job now. It's his job to come into camp and keep it."

This wasn't going to be the case in Montreal, which chose Mailloux with the 31st pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, 14 spots after the Blues selected Bolduc at No. 17, and the 6-foot-3, 213-pound right-handed shot is more than grateful.

"I’m really excited to come to St. Louis," Mailloux said. "I think they’ve got a great group of guys, and I’m really looking forward to continuing my journey, on and off the ice. Coming to St. Louis and being able to make a positive impact, whether it’s on the ice or off the ice, I think I want to come in there and be able to do some good.

"It’s pretty nice, to be honest. I think they’re giving me a chance here trading for me. I think they gave up a good prospect, a good player. I think I’m NHL ready as well. I think I’m ready to make that jump full-time. Hopefully, come in here and be able to contribute to some wins and some success next year."

Mailloux, who had 80 points (26 goals, 54 assists) in 135 games playing for Laval of the American Hockey League the past two seasons, attributes his success to playing well both offensively and defensively. He's known as an offensive defenseman but feels his positive play stemmed from both ends of the ice.

"I think it was my play on both sides of the puck this year," he said. "I think that’s one of the areas that I made a step compared to my first year. I think I was playing more of a complete game, being physical and trying to provide some offense when I can. Just being able to be out there and be a reliable player.

"I think when I came in my first year, I was a little more raw. I didn’t play too much hockey before that, to be honest. Had one full year of junior in the OHL (with the London Knights), but other than that, I had some injuries and some stuff going on before that. I think coming in and being able to play two full seasons in Laval, I didn’t really miss a game. Just being able to fully round out my game, I think, was definitely a big step I made this past year."

Even if the Blues parted with Bolduc, who came into his own with 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 72 regular-season games last season and flourished when Jim Montgomery took over as coach in late November, Mailloux falls into the mix of a lineup that's got a group of 10 players at 25 or younger.

"They’ve got a good team there," Mailloux said. "It’s pretty exciting to see what they have going on. Got a bunch of young talent, some guys who’ve put up some really good seasons and some young guys who are up and coming as well. I think, hopefully, I fit right in with that age group as well. I’m really excited to get going and hopefully win some games for a long time here."