The Canadiens still have unfinished business with their restricted free agents, and Zachary Bolduc sits near the center of it.
After getting Kirby Dach signed earlier this week, Montreal still has six RFAs without new contracts. Bolduc is one of them, and the winger told Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse that he isn’t concerned about the delay. Lefrancois also reported that the Canadiens have put two different ideas on the table: a two-year bridge deal and a five-year contract.
That longer-term number stands out a bit, since Bolduc is still four years away from UFA eligibility. A five-year deal would be an unusual middle ground, but it would also keep the cap hit in check.
Bolduc posted 12 goals and 18 assists in 78 games last season, then followed that with a stronger 2024-25 showing in St. Louis, finishing with 19 goals and 17 assists in 72 games.
AFP Analytics projects a bridge deal at about $3.6MM per season, while their long-term projection comes in at seven years and just over $6MM per year.
For Montreal, the money shouldn’t be the problem. PuckPedia has the Canadiens with a little under $10MM in cap space, and only Bolduc and defenseman Arber Xhekaj are expected to meaningfully affect that room. The other four unsigned RFAs are likely headed to the AHL, which gives the Canadiens enough flexibility to handle either a short-term or longer-term arrangement with Bolduc.
There was also a bit of free-agent overlap involving Anthony Mantha. The New Jersey winger said during a media session yesterday that Montreal showed some interest in him early in free agency, but no formal offer ever came.
His camp waited a week to see if one would materialize, and it never did. That lines up with the sense that the Canadiens were looking for help up front, but not aggressively enough to land the 31-year-old, who is coming off a career year with 31 goals and 33 assists in Pittsburgh.
And one of Montreal’s prospects has already found a new stop in Russia. The VHL announced this week that Makar Khanin has joined AKM Tula Region, making it his third VHL team in the last seven months.
The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick in 2024, going 210th overall after a strong VHL season with St. Petersburg, where he put up 27 points in 35 games.
Since then, the production has dipped sharply; he finished his most recent campaign with just two goals and five assists in 19 games as he tries to get his development back on track.
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The comparison comes with an important caveat, because Guhle does not bring the same offensive arsenal or the kind of legendary shot Weber had. Still, when he has been on the ice, he has shown why Montreal values him so highly, and his strong playoff work last spring only added to the sense that the Canadiens may have found a defender who can fill a similar role in a different way. [Read more 🡒]