Zack Bolduc took the Montreal Canadiens by storm when he arrived in Quebec following a trade from the St. Louis Blues over the summer. While Logan Mailloux, who the Habs traded in the deal, was playing poorly in St. Louis, Bolduc looked like he was going to be a 40-goal scorer.
Oh how things have changed.
In his first three games with the Canadiens, Bolduc roared out of the gate with three goals and an assist, giving him four points. But in his last 26 outings, Bolduc has just three goals and nine points, giving him a total of 13 points in 29 contests.
With six goals in those 29 games, Bolduc is on pace for between 17 and 18 goals, which is one fewer than the 19 he scored last season. So right now, it feels like Bolduc had some beginner's luck in Montreal, but he may ultimately figure to be a bottom-six forward with the Canadiens.
Zack Bolduc picked a bad time to fall into a scoring slump
The Canadiens started off hot, but they haven't been the same team since Nov. 1, when they jumped out to a 9-3-0 start. Since then, the Canadiens are 6-7-3, with a slew of injuries and bad goaltending stunting their progress.
Injuries to core players like Alex Newhook, Patrik Laine, and Kirby Dach should have made it a golden opportunity for Bolduc to help keep the Habs afloat. Instead, his productivity suffered along with the rest of the team, including players like Jake Evans, who also proved to be a viable scorer in 2024-25.
Now, it leads one to wonder whether Bolduc is even that good. Between Feb. 6 and Apr. 15, when the Blues went 20-5-3, Bolduc racked up 14 goals and 21 points. However, when the Blues fell off, Bolduc had just five goals and 15 points.
It could be that he's an important piece, and the team he's on is only as good as he is, but that might be assigning too much credit.
There's a clear pattern here. When his team is winning, Bolduc is one of the better players on the ice. But when there's turbulence, his productivity disappears, and he's barely good enough to be a depth-scoring forward. That lack of consistency and reliability is a major issue, and Canadiens fans are learning that in the worst way at the worst time.
Still, the 2025-26 campaign is young enough for Bolduc, and the Canadiens can turn their season around with his help. He'll need to start that sooner rather than later, though, as time and patience are running out in Montreal.