One of the big questions still lingering around the Montreal Canadiens is what they do with restricted free agents Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj. If Nick Suzuki has a say in the matter, he would like to see both return.
"Both are really important players," Suzuki said during his golf tournament to support his service dog foundation. "Zach had a good year, and I thought he took steps throughout the season and into the playoffs."
"Arber, I think is an important piece for our locker room and on the ice, and hopefully both guys can get it done. There's still plenty of time, so I'm pretty hopeful."
While Suzuki believes there is still plenty of time, that time is dwindling fast, with training camp only a few weeks away. Neither player elected to go to arbitration, and that is one of the reasons this has dragged on throughout the summer. When players elect for arbitration, it creates some urgency as both sides face a deadline.
Montreal Canadiens could be having very different discussions with the two players
It is a little surprising that the Canadiens have not been able to agree to a new contract with either player. However, the reasons could be very different for the two players.
For Bolduc, it might be the length of the contract, as the big question with restricted free agents is whether to sign a long-term deal, like five or six years, or a bridge contract, for one or two seasons. If this is the holdup, it isn't really clear where the two sides land.
As Suzuki noted, Bolduc got better as the season went along in his first season with Montreal. He made his biggest impact in the playoffs with seven points in 19 games.
When it comes to Arber Xhekaj, it seems that it would be a very different conversation. He is a physical defenseman and brings a skill set that the Canadiens don't have a lot of currently within their blueline.
However, they have a logjam at the position with all of their Top 6 under contract, with prospects David Reinbacher and Adam Engstrom ready to make that jump to the NHL. This could be an instance where the Canadiens are trying to work out a trade, either moving Xhekaj or trading another player to create a spot for Xhekaj on the roster.
For both players and the Canadiens, time is running out, so there will probably be some sort of resolution before training camp. All options probably remain on the table, but Nick Suzuki already made it clear what he is hoping for.
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