Zachary Bolduc didn’t need long to make his presence felt in Montreal’s opener, and the Canadiens may have stumbled onto the kind of fit that could finally let him settle in.
Bolduc, skating on what was listed as the team’s fourth line with Jake Evans and Josh Anderson against the Toronto Maple Leafs, looked like the most dangerous piece of the bunch. The trio set an early tone with speed, physical play and a steady push in the offensive zone.
While other lines seemed to need time to get rolling, Bolduc’s group arrived ready. Anderson tied the game halfway through the first period, then Bolduc put Montreal ahead early in the second.
That kind of start matters for a player trying to build on a rocky first year in Montreal. Bolduc opened his Canadiens career by scoring in his first three games, which created the sense that the club had found something special.
But after that burst, he scored just nine more times over the next 75 games. His first season in Montreal fell short of what he had done as a rookie with the St.
Louis Blues, even if he looked closer to that version of himself during the Canadiens’ playoff run.
This season began with a new contract in place. Bolduc signed a four-year, $16.80 million deal right before training camp opened, and that brings a different level of expectation with it. He now has to show that his opening-night performance wasn’t a one-off.
Part of the challenge for Bolduc last season was the lack of stability around him. Money Puck had him on 14 different line combinations, and his most-used pairing came with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield for 176 minutes.
This year, the Canadiens are trying something different from the jump, and early signs suggest it could help. Bolduc spent just 57 minutes with Evans and Anderson last season, but the three looked connected right away.
Montreal’s staff has reasons to keep watching this line closely. It was the most effective unit on the ice in the opener, and if the offense keeps coming, it could earn more ice time as the season moves along.
The scoring target for Bolduc remains clear: 20 goals. That was the realistic benchmark after Montreal acquired him from St.
Louis to help solve the depth-scoring problems that hurt the Canadiens in 2024-25. Bolduc had already shown he could finish, scoring 105 goals in his final two QMJHL seasons with the Quebec Remparts.
He also flashed that ability in the NHL with 19 goals in 72 games during his rookie season with the Blues.
A 20-goal season would put Bolduc right around the value of his new contract, and the upside beyond that is there. But the Canadiens need to see progression, not just promise. If the chemistry with Evans and Anderson holds, Bolduc may finally have the kind of setup that lets his game breathe over an 84-game season.
In Other News...
Canadiens Young Core Is Getting Serious Respect Around The NHL
Around the league, the Canadiens young talent is drawing a level of attention that goes beyond the usual prospect buzz. San Jose captain Macklin Celebrini recently put together his top five NHL players under 23, and Montreal had two names on the list in Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov. Celebrinis praise for the pair underscored what has become hard to miss for anyone following the team: the skill level is real, and the ceiling around this core keeps rising.
It is not just one young player earning respect, either. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby has also pointed to Juraj Slafkovsky as an important piece for Montreal, which only adds to the sense that the Canadiens are starting to look more than promising on paper. For a fan base that has waited through plenty of rebuild talk, the growing acknowledgment from established stars is a meaningful sign that this group is beginning to force its way into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Sam Montembeault Decision With Real Stakes
Sam Montembeaults place in the Canadiens crease has gone from straightforward to complicated in a hurry. After entering camp as the backup behind Jakub Dobes, the veteran has already given Montreal reason to think there is still value there, thanks to a strong preseason and the kind of proven NHL track record that keeps a goalie on the radar even when the depth chart starts shifting around him.
For Montreal, the next stretch matters because the team is no longer just sorting out a backup job, it is weighing what Montembeault can mean as an asset if the organization decides to move in another direction. His performance over the season could shape whether the Canadiens are looking at a meaningful return or a far more modest outcome, and with goalie depth always a fragile thing, the decision carries more weight than a typical roster shuffle. [Read more 🡒]
Kent Hughes Went Further Than Fans Realized For A Top Forward
Montreal spent much of the summer looking like a team willing to push beyond the usual lines in its search for help up front, and a new report suggests Kent Hughes was even more aggressive than many fans realized. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Canadiens made a real run at adding a top forward and were among the leagues most active teams as they tried to keep building the roster with an eye on impact talent.
The pursuit went beyond a simple one-for-one pitch, with Montreal exploring creative trade ideas that involved other clubs in an effort to get something done. But Columbus did not bite on the proposals, leaving the Canadiens to keep searching for another way to add the kind of scorer they clearly had in mind, and likely to revisit the same market again when the next window opens. [Read more 🡒]