Minten's Deal Just Made the Bolduc Negotiation Harder

The Zachary Bolduc situation was already unresolved heading into this week. Now there's a complicating data point. Reports surfaced Tuesday that Vancouver's Conor Minten signed an extension, and the suggestion is that deal could serve as a reference point in Bolduc's own negotiations — which is not necessarily good news for Montreal.

Bolduc finished last season with 19 points in 50 games, a modest return for a player the organization still views as part of its forward depth. The minus-9 rating didn't help his leverage, but RFA negotiations rarely hinge on one number. They hinge on comparables, and if Minten's extension lands at a number that inflates the market for similarly situated young forwards, the Canadiens have a harder conversation ahead.

Camp is close. That's the real clock here. Montreal can carry Bolduc into training camp unsigned — it's been done — but the longer this drags, the more it becomes a distraction for a team that spent the summer trying to solve its secondary scoring problem through other means. Dach is in, Berard is in, and the front office has been deliberate about building depth. Bolduc fits that picture if the price is right. The question now is whether Minten's deal just moved the goalposts.