The Montreal Canadiens still have work to do with their unsigned RFAs, and Zachary Bolduc’s next contract may have found a useful reference point in San Jose.
With July now in the rearview mirror, the Habs remain without deals for Arber Xhekaj and Bolduc. And while both situations have been discussed plenty already, one recent signing could give Kent Hughes a cleaner lane in talks with Bolduc’s camp.
On July 31, Sharks general manager Mike Greer locked up 23-year-old winger Collin Graf on a one-way three-year bridge deal carrying a $4.25 million cap hit. Graf went undrafted, but he earned the contract after a strong season in which he posted 46 points in 81 games and worked his way into San Jose’s top six. Across 121 NHL games, he has 59 points, a 0.48 points-per-game pace.
Bolduc’s resume looks different, but the age and production track closely enough to make the comparison interesting. The 23-year-old was taken 17th overall by the St.
Louis Blues in the 2021 draft and produced 30 points in 78 games in his second full NHL season, his first in Montreal. In 175 career games, the Trois-Rivieres native has 75 points, a 0.43 points-per-game average.
His best stretch with the Canadiens came when he got top-six chances. He skated 16 games with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, and during that first run, from November 17 against the Columbus Blue Jackets to December 2 against the Ottawa Senators, he put up six points in seven games.
In a second stint on the top line, from December 11 against the Pittsburgh Penguins to December 28 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he added four points in nine games. That left him with 11 points in 16 games overall, but it still wasn’t enough to keep him there.
Martin St-Louis later tried Alexandre Texier and Kirby Dach on the top line before returning to Juraj Slafkovsky.
That’s the tricky part for Montreal. Bolduc has first-round pedigree and obvious upside, but he still hasn’t put together the kind of body of work that makes a long-term deal feel simple. There are too many unknowns to comfortably lock in a bigger commitment right now, which is why a shorter bridge deal makes sense.
A three-year term would give the Canadiens more runway to figure out exactly what they have, while also giving Bolduc time to push his value higher. The Graf deal sits right in the range that has been floated before, between $4 million and $4.5 million, and it may be the cleanest path forward. Given how well Hughes has handled team-friendly deals, that looks like the most likely outcome.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Chance At The Center They Need
A center hunt that has hovered over Montreal for a while picked up some unexpected intrigue when Jeff Marek raised the Canadiens as a possible destination for Dylan Larkin. It is the kind of name that instantly changes the conversation around a roster that has been searching for help down the middle, especially when a player of that caliber is even loosely attached to the market.
For now, though, the path is far from straightforward. The Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes are said to be among the teams showing the most interest, while Detroit is still holding out for a return that matches a first-line center. Larkin remains in Detroit, and until that balance shifts, Montreal's opening is more possibility than certainty. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Have An Obvious Veteran Option For Secondary Scoring
The Canadiens are still looking for ways to reinforce their scoring depth, and Reilly Smith has emerged as a veteran name worth keeping in the conversation. The unsigned free agent forward brings a long NHL track record, including past seasons as a reliable offensive contributor and a Stanley Cup on his rsum, which makes him the kind of low-risk addition teams often explore when they want help beyond their top-six forwards.
Smith is being viewed as a possible professional tryout option, which would give Montreal a closer look before any commitment is made. There has been no official agreement or even a reported offer, but the fit is easy to see for a club that could use experienced secondary scoring without rushing into a larger move. [Read more 🡒]
Brady Tkachuk Refused One Team Before Blockbuster Trade Reveal
Brady Tkachuks name surfaced in one of those summer trade discussions that can shape an entire market, and the latest report adds another layer to how complicated those talks can get. According to The Athletics Jeremy Rutherford, Tkachuk was not interested in going to the St. Louis Blues before the deal that eventually sent him to the Florida Panthers, a reminder that even high-level negotiations in the NHL are rarely just about teams lining up on value.
The report also notes that Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson came up in offseason trade chatter, underscoring how wide-ranging the conversations were behind the scenes. For teams watching the trade board, the key takeaway is familiar but often overlooked: player preference and no-trade considerations can steer a deal just as much as the price being discussed, and sometimes the most interesting part of a blockbuster is the destination that never made sense in the first place. [Read more 🡒]