Coming out of the Olympic break, the Montreal Canadiens are probably the healthiest they have been all season with Alex Newhook returning to the lineup. However, with all the players returning over the past few weeks, the coaching staff had to make some tough decisions.
The latest decision was taking Zachary Bolduc out of the lineup as he was a healthy scratch on Thursday against the New York Islanders. It was an interesting decision to say the least, and one that raises plenty of questions.
The Canadiens traded for Bolduc during the summer with the St. Louis Blues, and there is no question that he hasn't been nearly as productive as last season. In what was his first full season at the NHL level, Bolduc had 19 goals and 17 assists in 72 games with the Blues.
So far this season, Bolduc is slightly off that pace with 23 points in 57 games, and he had only six points since December 28th. However, leading into the Olympic break, he seemed to get back on track with five points in the final seven games leading up to the Olympic break.
It is noteworthy that Bolduc started to play better going into the break because this trend was something similar to last season with the Blues. In the 46 games before the 4 Nations Faceoff, he had six goals and 12 assists in 46 games, but in the 26 games after the break had 13 goals and five assists.
Where could Zachary Bolduc fit in the Montreal Canadiens lineup?
The challenge that head coach Martin St. Louis is facing is that, with how Alex Newhook played before his injury, he absolutely needed to be back in the lineup. That means that the Canadiens need to find someone else to take out to get Bolduc back on the ice.
When looking at the lineup, it would make sense for Bolduc to replace Alexandre Texier on the line with Jake Evans and Alex Newhook. Texier had a great start with the Canadiens after they claimed him off waivers.
However, after a hat trick against the Florida Panthers on January 8th, he has failed to score a goal in nine straight games and has only four points in total during that stretch. Texier is a great depth player for the Canadiens to have, and get him in the lineup when there are injuries, but Bolduc's ceiling is so much higher, and Montreal needs to make sure they are giving him chances to develop.
There is plenty that can change over the next week with the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday, and maybe a few moves will create some openings for Bolduc to get back on the ice. However, the Canadiens shouldn't wait for that, and they need to make sure the young forward is back sooner rather than later, ideally as soon as Saturday night against the Washington Capitals.