Josh Anderson’s Injury: It’s Time for Zachary Bolduc to Step Up

This morning, the Canadiens shared some bad news.
The team officially announced that Josh Anderson has suffered an upper-body injury. They're taking a day-to-day approach with him, which suggests the injury may not be extremely serious.
But still: the absence of the big forward could hurt… even in the short term.

Forward Josh Anderson has an upper-body injury and is being evaluated on a day-to-day basis.
Forward Josh Anderson is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. pic.twitter.com/Gyvd2TozNX
— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) March 19, 2026
After all, there is no other player capable of doing what #17 does. There is no one who hits, plays the boards, and brings energy the way Anderson does so consistently.

In fact…

Actually, that's not true.

There's one guy in particular who needs to step up in Josh Anderson's absence, and I'm talking about Zachary Bolduc. The Quebec native hasn't scored since December 23rd and has been struggling on the ice lately.
But he has the physical style the Canadiens will be looking for with Andy out of the lineup. This is a golden opportunity for Bolduc… and he needs to take advantage of it to send a clear message.

Zachary Bolduc worked on his physical play along the boards with Arber Xhekaj last Friday in Brossard.
The Quebec forward still seems to be searching for his identity.

With Kirby Dach's injury, a great opportunity has opened up for Zachary Bolduc to rediscover a… pic.twitter.com/m9aTuHdL8r
— Patrick Guillet (@PatGuillet) March 17, 2026

We'd all like to see Zachary Bolduc have more success on offense. And I think you'll all agree with me when I say it would be nice to see him score for the first time in almost three months.
But… with Anderson out, I want to see him be the spark plug for the team. I want to see him use his body to disrupt the opponent and create space on the ice for his teammates.
Because he's capable of playing that way. And he might be the only one who is right now, looking at the Montreal Canadiens' lineup…
It's up to him to step up.

In a nutshell
– It's done.

pic.twitter.com/CGNLXmA5B4
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 19, 2026
— I agree.

As I've mentioned before, Patrik Laine, barring a miracle or a radical change of heart, has played his last game in Montreal. A decision was made some time ago, and they're going to stick with it.
— HFTV (@HFTVSports) March 19, 2026
— Hello, boys.

H4BS #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/DFysDT6vYN
— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) March 19, 2026

— Big news in the AHL.

BREAKING: The Bridgeport Islanders will be relocating to Hamilton, Ontario for the start of the 2026-27 season. #AHL #Hockey pic.twitter.com/PNMjcTksdo
— FloHockey (@FloHockey) March 19, 2026