Zachary Bolduc keeps making the St. Louis Blues regretful trade look even more lopsided, and he did it again Tuesday night.
The Montreal Canadiens forward struck in the second period against his former team, opening the scoring in a 2-0 win over the Blues. It was another timely reminder of what Montreal has gotten back in the deal that sent defenseman Logan Mailloux to St. Louis, and at least for now, the head-to-head part of that swap belongs to the Canadiens.
Bolduc’s start in Montreal has been hard to ignore. Through 12 games, he has five goals and two assists for seven points, and the production is only part of the story. He has looked comfortable and dangerous from the jump, the kind of player who keeps finding his way into the middle of the action no matter the opponent.
If this pace holds, the numbers start getting attention fast. Over an 84-game stretch, Bolduc is on track for 35 goals and 49 points. For a one-for-one trade, that kind of scoring would make Montreal’s side look even better.
The early results already compare favorably to his previous bests. His top goal total came in 2024-25, when he scored 19 times, and his career-high in points was 36 that same season. He also set a personal best with 17 assists in 2025-26.
What makes the start even more encouraging for the Canadiens is that Bolduc hasn’t needed a perfect setup to get there. One of his goals has come off a feed from Nick Suzuki, another from Lane Hutson, but four of his tallies have come without those players directly involved on the ice. That matters even more with Suzuki expected to miss between two and four weeks.
There’s also the contract angle. Bolduc signed a four-year deal worth $16.8 million after becoming a restricted free agent over the offseason, and with a $4.2 million cap hit, the number is modest by today’s standards.
On the other side, St. Louis is still waiting to see what it really has in Mailloux. He is out for eight weeks after suffering an injury in a preseason game that required surgery, so the Blues are stuck holding the other end of the trade without an immediate payoff.
Mailloux did show some promise last season, when he collected 13 points in 67 games. Hockey Reference listed his points share at 2.2, a respectable mark that suggests there is value there if he can get healthy and settle in.
But right now, the early edge clearly belongs to Montreal. Bolduc has already delivered against his old team, and the Blues are still waiting for their return to even take the ice.
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Caufields optimism comes from more than just what happened last spring. He sees a core that is in place and a room that keeps challenging itself every day, which is exactly the kind of internal push the Canadiens have been searching for as they try to build something lasting. For a fan base that has stayed loud through the lean years, the appeal is obvious: Caufield believes the motivation is there, and the goal is to turn all that noise into a team worth cheering for deep into the spring. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Sparked A Trade Question Fans Wont Ignore
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The added intrigue comes from the seats rather than the bench, where Red Wings executive Kris Draper was in attendance and helped stir up the usual trade chatter that follows a prospect with a growing profile. There has been no confirmation of any talks or of what Detroit was specifically there to evaluate, but with Engstrom back in the mix and outside interest hovering, this is the kind of situation Canadiens fans will keep watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Just Did Something Impressive Without Suzuki And Demidov
The Canadiens kept rolling on the road with a 2-0 win over the St. Louis Blues, extending their streak away from home even while missing injured regulars Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov. Montreal got the kind of composed, structured effort teams usually need to survive a gap in the lineup, with rookie goaltending and timely finishing carrying the night in a game that looked anything but ordinary.
Zachary Bolduc scored against his former team, giving the Canadiens a goal with a little extra edge, and the result only sharpened the sense that this group is finding ways to win in different forms. The larger question now is whether Montreal can keep that same standard if the injury picture doesn't clear up soon, because the latest victory came with one more reminder that the margin for error remains thin. [Read more 🡒]