Bolduc Still Unsigned as Montreal Looks for a Framework

The Zachary Bolduc situation got a little more complicated this week. He's been unsigned since the summer, and now there's a new wrinkle: reporting suggests the front office may look at the Minten extension as a potential template for structuring a deal. Whether that makes things easier or harder to resolve before training camp opens is the question.

The numbers from last season don't make this simple. Bolduc finished with 10 goals and 19 points at minus-9 in 50 games — uneven production for a young winger the organization still believes in, but not the kind of line that commands a straightforward negotiation. He was averaging just over 13 and a half minutes a night, which tells you where he sat in the rotation. There's real upside there, but the front office is trying to price a player who hasn't quite shown it consistently yet.

Montreal added Dach and Berard this offseason specifically to shore up secondary scoring, so Bolduc isn't the only answer to that problem. But he's also not easily replaced from within if this drags past camp. My read is that the Canadiens want him in the building — a trade candidate doesn't get this much front-office attention in September. The Minten comparison, whatever the specifics turn out to be, sounds like a bridge structure: buy some certainty on both sides without overpaying for a ceiling that hasn't arrived yet.

Camp is close. This one needs to get done.