The Montreal Canadiens want Zachary Bolduc signed, but the real issue may not be money. It may be term.
Bolduc, who came over from the St. Louis Blues last year, put up 30 points in his first season with Montreal and is still a restricted free agent.
Under normal circumstances, a deal like this would be fairly straightforward, probably landing somewhere in the one- or two-year range at a modest salary. But Marco D’Amico reported on the Starr & D’Amico Show that Bolduc and his camp are pushing for a four-year contract.
That kind of length is becoming more common for young players, and in Bolduc’s case it would carry him right to unrestricted free agency.
Across the league, the trade market for Connor Hellebuyck has also shifted, and not in the Winnipeg Jets’ favor.
Elliotte Friedman said the packages around Hellebuyck are getting tougher to assemble now that the draft has passed and he’s still with Winnipeg. The Jets are not focused on simply collecting picks and prospects, but if they want the kind of return they’re after, that may be the route they have to take. The problem is that a lot of the most useful assets teams leaned on earlier in the summer are harder to move now.
Draft picks carry more uncertainty once the draft is gone, because teams no longer know exactly what they’ll be dealing with at the next one. Prospects are trickier too, since training camps are opening and clubs may already be planning for those players to have bigger roles instead of using them as trade currency. The sense is that Winnipeg may have already missed its best chance to maximize the return.
Then there’s the Philadelphia Flyers, who could be waiting for a much bigger swing.
If the Quinn Hughes situation turns into a real trade possibility, the Flyers could be in the conversation. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic addressed the idea and laid out why it could fit. Hughes has strong ties to head coach Rick Tocchet and top centre Trevor Zegras, and the Flyers were already interested in him before he was traded to the Minnesota Wild.
Philadelphia also checked in on Zach Werenski when he surfaced in trade chatter, though nothing came of that. And the Leo Carlsson offer sheet showed exactly how aggressive the Flyers are willing to be when an elite player becomes available.
They have the draft picks and young players to make a serious offer, but any deal with Minnesota would have to include an extension. That extension is still expected to be for three years, no matter where Hughes ends up, so he can line up his contract with his brother Jack’s deal.
In Other News...
Connor Hellebuyck Trade Pressure Is Suddenly Building On The Jets
Connor Hellebuycks public trade request has put Winnipeg in a far more complicated spot than it was facing earlier in the summer, when a few different routes seemed at least plausible. Florida and Buffalo were both part of the conversation at one point, but the landscape has shifted since then, with no-trade protections and other roster moves taking some of the cleaner options off the board. What looked like a market with multiple doors now feels a lot tighter, and the Jets have to weigh both the value coming back and the reality of losing a franchise goalie.
Winnipeg is still not in a rush to accept a lesser package, and that stance is part of what makes this so tricky. The club is holding firm for the kind of offer that makes sense on its end, while also needing a path to cover the crease if it does move Hellebuyck. Signing Stuart Skinner shows the Jets are preparing for that possibility, but the bigger question remains whether another team can assemble something strong enough to get the deal done. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Hutchinsons Next Hockey Move Will Hit Home For Jets Fans
Michael Hutchinsons playing days are over, but his ties to Winnipeg hockey are only getting deeper. The former Jets goaltender, who logged 154 NHL games across several teams, has officially retired from professional hockey and settled into a life here that feels pretty fitting for a player who made this city his permanent home.
Hutchinson is staying close to the crease in a new way, working with young netminders in Winnipeg and adding another local connection to a career that already resonated with Jets fans. His next chapter is more about teaching than stopping pucks, and it gives the city a chance to keep one of its familiar hockey figures in the middle of the game he knows best. [Read more 🡒]