Montreal Closed Its Offseason in Three Days. The Roster Is Set.

Four moves in roughly 72 hours: Bolduc on a four-year deal at $4.2 million AAV, Martin St. Louis extended for multiple years, Alex Newhook locked up at four years and $22.2 million, and Arber Xhekaj signed for one. The front office had been working toward this moment all summer — Demidov in July, Dach and Berard before that, Kreider last weekend — and now the last pieces are in place. Training camp opens with a roster that looks intentional rather than assembled.

The Newhook extension is the headline number. Four years at $22.2 million is a real commitment, and it tells you what Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes think this team is becoming. Bolduc's deal is the more interesting bet — 19 points and a minus-9 last season, but the organization clearly sees something worth four years of patience. I wrote last week that the Bolduc negotiation dragging into September was the last loose thread. It wasn't, quite — St. Louis and Xhekaj were still out there — but those resolved quickly once the forward group was settled.

The one thing this week didn't fix is goaltending depth. Jakub Dobes had a strong rookie season and earned his standing as the starter, but a credible backup remains an open question heading into camp. That's the piece of this roster that still has some give in it.