Bolduc, Xhekaj, and a Closing Window

Two weeks ago I noted that Montreal wasn't walking away from Zack Bolduc despite a minus-9 season and a contract stalemate that had dragged into August. That's still true — but the framing has shifted. A beat writer flagged this week that both Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj are now being discussed as sign-and-trade candidates, which is a different conversation than a creative extension. It doesn't mean the Koivunen-style structure is off the table, but it means the organization is at least thinking about what return it could get if talks don't close.

Bolduc's case hasn't changed much on the merits. Ten goals, 19 points, minus-9 in 13-and-a-half minutes a night — that's a player the team clearly values as a development piece, not a finished product. The question has always been how to price that. A sign-and-trade route would suggest the gap between what Bolduc wants and what Montreal will pay is wide enough that moving him makes more sense than bridging it.

Camp isn't far off, and unsigned RFAs tend to lose leverage as it approaches. My read is that the next ten days clarify this quickly — either Hughes finds a structure both sides can live with, or Bolduc becomes an asset rather than a roster piece. Montreal has done most of its offseason work already. This is the one loose thread left.