With training camp just under a month away, the Montreal Canadiens still have two remaining RFA’s that need to be signed. The Canadiens submitted qualifying offers to both Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj, but have yet to reach an agreement on contract extensions. Xhekaj’s situation has been murky, with rumours suggesting that he could potentially be playing elsewhere next season. Bolduc’s situation, on the other hand, has been very quiet. His first season in Montreal likely did not go as he hoped, but he looked to have turned a corner in the playoffs. The talent is there, but the confusion about his contract extension has now trickled down to the player.
Bolduc wants to be in Montreal
Bolduc’s contract extension should be the team’s next priority, and one thing is certain: he wants to stay in town for a long time. That should not be shocking, as the Trois-Rivières-born winger spoke glowingly about the organization he grew up watching when he was acquired from the St. Louis Blues. He is close to home and is surrounded by family, but he understands that the NHL is a business first. In an interview with RDS, Bolduc spoke about exactly that.
"“I'd love to play in Montreal for several seasons. But on the other hand, management has to make their own decisions too. Like I said, I'm not going to get ahead of myself on anything, but I trust my agent on that end and I'm confident that good things are coming.”"Zachary Bolduc
Bolduc sees a future in Montreal for himself, but it is up to his agent and the organization to get a deal done. The hope is that it gets concluded soon before it becomes a distraction during training camp. There have been no updates on whether the holdup is due to the dollar amount or the years on the deal, but Bolduc seems optimistic that a contract could be done in the near future.
Montreal needs Bolduc in the lineup
The Canadiens had two major needs they wanted to address this offseason. They wanted a top-six winger and a second-line centre. Neither has been addressed through free agency or trade. That leaves the Canadiens needing to address those holes within the organization, and Bolduc is a clear candidate who could jump into their top six. He is a physical winger with a great shot, but he failed to showcase that last season, finishing with just 12 goals. However, at this point in the offseason, the Canadiens might be out of options, and their best chance at success could lie with Bolduc, who scored 135 goals during his junior career.
It will be interesting to see whether the Canadiens stick with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky as their first-line trio or split them up as we saw at times last season. The Canadiens need to find a way to be less one-dimensional, and Bolduc might be their best option to do so. That will be something they need to figure out during training camp, but that will be much more difficult if they cannot get a deal done with Bolduc.
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