In less than a week, the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp will officially open, but there are a couple of players who have yet to sign a new contract with the team. Arber Xhekaj and Zach Bolduc are still RFAs at the time of writing, and Bolduc’s agent was probably pleased to hear about the seven-year contract the Boston Bruins gave Fraser Minten.
Minten is a 22-year-old forward who can play center or wing and was a Toronto Maple Leafs second-round pick, 38th overall, at the 2022 draft. However, in March 2025, the Leafs, who were keen to acquire Brandon Carlo, decided to send Minten and a top-five-protected first-round pick to Boston to add the experienced right-shot blueliner.
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The 6-foot-2, 204-pound forward has played a total of 107 games in the NHL and has picked up a total of 40 points, 20 goals and 20 assists. That averages 0.37 points per game. He was held off the scoresheet in the six games he played in the playoffs, but his first full season in Boston still impressed the Bruins’ front office, judging by the long-term contract he obtained from GM Don Sweeney. The seven-year deal carries a $7.2 M AAV, which could be a home run if Minten’s development goes according to plan, but if it doesn’t, it could backfire in spectacular fashion.
This isn’t the first interesting long-term contract that’s been awarded to an unproven youngster this offseason. Just over a month ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed Ville Koivunen to an eight-year deal with a $4 million AAV. The 23-year-old has played 47 NHL games so far, putting up 14 points, or 0.33 points per game.
Meanwhile, Bolduc, also 23, has played 175 NHL games and picked up 75 points, averaging 0.42 points per game and making him the most productive of the three. Unlike Minten, Bolduc doesn't play at center.
Kent Hughes and the Canadiens aren't in the habit of giving long-term contracts to players who haven't yet shown what they can bring consistently in the NHL. Logic dictates that the Habs would likely want to sign Bolduc to a bridge deal, a prove-yourself contract much like the one that was first signed with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.
At this stage, however, one has to wonder if they’ll be able to stay the course. The salary cap is rising, and the NHL's contractual landscape is shifting as a result. With all due respect, Bolduc is no Ivan Demidov, but if he looks outside of the Canadiens’ dressing room, he can find instances of players who didn’t have Demidov-like seasons in the NHL but are signing for sizeable deals. Juraj Slafkovsky’s contract out of his ELC also had a sizeable cap hit of $7.6 million, but he signed it after a 50-point season in which he established himself as a mainstay on the Habs’ first line.
Bolduc’s first and only season in Montreal saw him move up and down the lineup, and his most frequent linemates were Kirby Dach and Jake Evans. In 78 games, he could only manage to put up 30 points (12 goals and 18 assists), and in the Habs’ playoff run, he showed that he could play a gritty and physical game, but still ended the Canadiens’ 19-game run playing on the wing of the fourth line.
Since being hired as the Habs’ GM, Hughes has done wonders when it comes to contract negotiations, but the Bolduc case might force him to venture down the path less taken, which clearly wouldn’t be his first choice.
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