Zachary Bolduc: The Habs are hoping he can take his game to the next level

Félix Forget
Zachary Bolduc: The Habs are hoping he can take his game to the next level
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

It's been a year now since Zachary Bolduc was traded to the Canadiens. In his first season with the team, the Quebec native scored 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games before adding three goals and seven points in 19 playoff games.

He started the season on fire, but things got tougher after that. That said, we still saw some promising moments.

This summer, Bolduc and the Habs will need to reach an agreement so the forward can secure a contract for next season. Because one thing is clear: he's still a key part of the team's plans.

Elliotte Friedman, on his “32 Thoughts” podcast, touched on this: as he understands it, the Habs are hoping Bolduc will be able to take his game to the next level.

With a full year under his belt in the Habs' system (and an additional year of NHL experience), the team now wants to see him take his game to the next level.

We know that Bolduc, who is 23, has some very interesting offensive skills. He has a high-quality shot and brings a good dose of grit to his game.

And that's when you realize that a player with that kind of grit who can score is pretty much the type of player the Canadiens would love to add to their top six.

Over the past few months, it's been clear that Bolduc hasn't always found it easy to let his game flow naturally. One might wonder if Martin St-Louis wanted to work with him on his 200-foot game (much like the coach did with Cole Caufield in the past), which could be part of the reason.

But if he does indeed reach another level—to the point where he's able to establish himself as a genuine option in the top-6—it could solve a lot of problems around town. It's much easier said than done, of course… but the team paid to bring him in: if he's up to par, he'll get his chance.


Quick Thoughts

– That's true. But on the other hand, you have no choice but to do that to force the other team's hand.

– Really?

– A name to watch.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!