Zachary Bolduc says he wants to be in Montreal, but the Canadiens’ latest contract puzzle still leaves the door cracked open on a trade.
The 22-year-old forward, acquired from the Blues for Logan Mailloux on July 1, 2025, spoke this week about his future with the Canadiens. Bolduc is still an unsigned restricted free agent, and Montreal is deciding between a bridge deal and a longer-term extension. He made it clear he’d prefer to stick around.
“I’d love to play in Montreal for several seasons. But on the other hand, management has to make their own decisions too. Like I said, I’m not going to get ahead of myself on anything, but I trust my agent on that end and I’m confident that good things are coming.”
Bolduc arrived in Montreal after a strong rookie season with St. Louis, when he scored 19 goals and finished at plus-20.
His first stretch with the Canadiens started well before he cooled off, ending the year with 30 points and a minus-6 rating. He still left a mark in the postseason, picking up seven points in 19 playoff games.
Elsewhere in the rumor mill, Jon Cooper’s name got tossed into an eye-catching Toronto conversation, even if it feels like more noise than reality. On a recent episode of The Sheet Podcast, Jeff Marek said: ”I know the Maple Leafs have a new coach in Jim Hiller; this is probably unfair, but I do think that Jon Cooper is of the mind that that’s a real challenge that he would embrace.”
The idea is a long shot at best. Cooper remains tied to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Hiller was just hired by Toronto.
Still, the speculation didn’t stop there. One fan pointed out that if Cooper ever did leave Tampa, Toronto might not be his first choice.
The argument was that his bigger draw could be Connor McDavid, especially with the two having spoken highly of each other. The same line of thinking suggested Edmonton, which just hired Mike Babcock, could make more sense.
Then there’s John Tavares, who spent this week in court. According to a National Post report by Joseph Brean, Tavares testified in a tax court trial with former teammate Patrick Marleau. The case centers on the $15 million signing bonus Tavares received in 2018 when he signed his seven-year, $77 million deal with the Maple Leafs.
The dispute is over about $8 million in taxes. The Canada Revenue Agency says the bonus should have been treated as employment income and taxed at more than 50 percent.
Tavares’ position is that the money was an “inducement” to sign with Toronto, which would make the 15 percent rate he already paid the proper one. The fight is really about how the law defines “inducement,” and the CRA has accepted that label for other signing bonuses but not this one.
There is no allegation of dishonesty or wrongdoing against Tavares. The issue is strictly how the tax rules apply. The CRA says he owes $6.8 million in additional taxes, plus $1.2 million in interest.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Have Found A Defense Fit They Rarely Get Cheap
The Maple Leafs added another piece to their blue line pipeline in the 2026 NHL Draft, taking right-shot defenseman Mans Gudmundsson with the 76th overall pick. For a team that has long searched for affordable, homegrown help on defense, the selection checked a few boxes at once: size, puck-moving ability and a physical edge that can be hard to find once the price tag starts climbing.
Gudmundsson is not just a flyer on a later pick, either. Toronto appears to see him as part of a longer-term succession plan for its defense corps, with room for him to keep developing in North America. Whether he becomes the kind of steady, cost-controlled fit the organization is hoping for will depend on how quickly he adapts, but the Leafs clearly think there is more there than a depth add. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Still Have One Unsettled Goalie Question Before Camp
The Maple Leafs head into camp with their goaltending chart already taking shape around Anthony Stolarz and Sergei Bobrovsky, but it is not hard to see why the room still feels unfinished. Stolarz brings injury concerns into the conversation, while Bobrovskys age makes depth behind them more than a luxury, especially for a team that knows how quickly a crease plan can get complicated over a long season.
One possible answer is a familiar kind of training-camp insurance, with Toronto weighing a veteran option who has NHL experience and just spent time in the KHL. It would not change the outlook at the top of the depth chart, but it would give the Leafs another layer of protection if the kind of goalie trouble that tends to arrive unexpectedly starts to show up again. [Read more 🡒]
John Tavares Maple Leafs Signing Is Back In The Spotlight
John Tavares was back in the spotlight in a very different setting this week, appearing in Tax Court of Canada to challenge a Canada Revenue Agency demand tied to the signing bonus he received when he joined the Maple Leafs in 2018. The dispute centers on how that money should be treated for tax purposes, with the CRA arguing it belonged in the same bucket as regular salary while Tavares and his lawyer say his residency status at the time changes the calculation.
For Toronto, the case is another reminder of how much attention followed the captains arrival and how long the aftershocks from that decision can linger. The court has not ruled yet, leaving one more off-ice storyline hanging over a player whose move to the Maple Leafs already reshaped the franchise and still draws scrutiny years later. [Read more 🡒]