Szuber Signed, Defense Addressed — Bolduc Still the Loose Thread

Montreal closed its defensive depth file on August 3 when Maksymilian Szuber signed a one-year, two-way contract. It's a modest addition on paper, but the need it addresses was real: Lane Hutson had a strong rookie season at 49 points, and then the drop-off to the second pairing was steep. Szuber doesn't fix that gap on his own, but he gives the organization another body with NHL-level exposure as training camp approaches.

That leaves Zack Bolduc as the one unresolved piece. He finished last season at 10 goals and 19 points, a minus-9, in limited ice time — numbers that don't make the negotiation easy on either side. Recent reporting has floated the idea of a Ville Koivunen-style extension structure as a potential path forward, which would suggest the front office sees development upside worth investing in, even after an uneven year.

The Bolduc situation isn't urgent in the way a top-six hole would be. But it's the kind of thing that lingers. Camp opens with him unsigned, and that's a minor distraction the Canadiens don't need heading into a season where the pressure is on the young core to perform in high-leverage moments — something last spring's late-season offensive fade made very clear.