On Thursday, Zach Bolduc was taking part in a celebrity golf tournament in Levis, and he had some time to speak to the media. Unsurprisingly, the youngster has been very busy since being traded to the Montreal Canadiens.
He explained that the day following the trade, he went to the CN Sports Complex in Brossard and met with Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton, and Martin St-Louis. While they didn’t have any in-depth conversations, the Habs’ brass did ask him to work on his faceoff skills since they might need him to take some draws.
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The last time he played at center, he was 16 or 17 years old, and he was playing in the QMJHL with the Rimouski Oceanic. he didn’t do it in the later stage of his junior career with the Quebec Remparts. Still, he is receptive to the idea and reached out to Marc Bureau to work on his faceoff skills; he didn’t wait for the Canadiens to organize that for him. He intends to practice a few more times with Bureau until the end of the Summer. It's important to add that Bolduc he's ready to play wherever he's asked to play, on any line at any position, he just wants to help the Tricolore win.
This is an interesting development. It’s a well-known fact that the Candiens would like to bolster their center line, but both the trade and the free agent market were relatively thin in that respect, and they’ve been unable to address that need so far. Of course, Kirby Dach is still pencilled in as the second-line pivot, but given past results, having a contingency plan would make sense.
Alex Newhook had also played center in the past, and it wasn’t a success either. Last season, he spent the last quarter of the season skating down the middle, and in 21 games, he could only muster five points; that’s hardly the kind of output you want to see from a top-six pivot. With 26 points on the season, there’s room for improvement, and asking Newhook to carry the extra responsibilities centers have isn’t a good idea.
As for why he chose to keep number 76, he explained that there are already 22-23 active players who have numbers, on top of the retired numbers, so it was just the easiest way to go, even though he knows people will talk about P.K. Subban. As for why he originally got the number in St.Louis, it was just the one that was given to him in camp, and he just got used to it and kept it.
While he dreamt of playing for the Canadiens when he was young, he enjoyed his time in St. Louis, but going to Brossard to meet with the Habs’ brass made him realize that it was happening. He adds that even though the Blues drafted him, he still kept on following the Habs from afar, and he’s excited to join such a young and talented team.
Bolduc wasn’t the only hockey player attending the tournament; Philadelphia Flyers alumnus and former Quebec Remparts assistant coach Simon Gagne was asked about his former player.
Gagne appears to be a big Bolduc fan, saying that he believes the youngster could score 30 goals per season for the Habs. However, he adds that he would have to be deployed appropriately to reach that goal, with top-six minutes and power play time, even perhaps first power play minutes. Given the fact that the first man-advantage unit is already somewhat crowded in Montreal, it would be surprising to see Bolduc get a spot on it, but never say never.
Gagne was also asked if he would have been happy to be traded to Montreal when he was 22, and he didn’t rush to say he would have been. Instead, he said that he wondered if Bolduc was when he heard about the trade because he was in a perfect place in St. Louis with top-six minutes and power-play time. He then added that he had at least been traded to a team that was in a bright spot, coming off a rebuild with a talented young roster. He finally added that at 22, he had a lot of experience, and he might have been able to handle a trade to Montreal, but he was happy that he got to stay in Philadelphia, and things went so well that there was no point in changing things.
He also added that Bolduc had the right personality to be able to cope with Montreal, that he was the kind of guy who is accessible to the public and will never turn down an autograph or event request. Furthermore, if he doesn’t score during a few games, Bolduc has more to his game than just goals, and the fact that he brings physicality will mean he’ll get less criticism if he goes through a dry spell.
As for Bolduc himself, he’s not worried about the pressure of the Montreal market, calling it a privilege. There’s pressure because the fans care so much about the game and their team that it’s a privilege to play in that kind of environment.
Photo credit: Brett Holmes-Imagn Images
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