When injured players are ready to return to the Montreal Canadiens' roster, others will have to make way. Should the fact that Zachary Bolduc doesn't have to go through waivers to be sent down to Laval seal his fate? I don't believe so.
Soon, the Montreal Canadiens will have to make some tough decisions. Each day, more injured players resume skating and are nearing a return. Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine will likely be the next two to be ready. When Josh Anderson came back, Owen Beck made way for him in the lineup, which wasn’t surprising given how young he is and the fact that he can be sent down to the Laval Rocket without clearing waivers, but what happens when the next player is ready?
Three more players don’t have to clear waivers if they are sent to Laval: Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, and Zach Bolduc. Clearly, the first two are going nowhere. Along with Juraj Slafkovsky, they form the best second line the Canadiens have had in years. Both are involved in the rookie scoring race. Demidov leads all rookies in points with 39 in 47 games, and Kapanen is fifth in points with 27, but he leads all rookies in goals with 16.
Meanwhile, Bolduc has 18 points in 47 games. Last season, he had 36 points in 72 games with the St. Louis Blues. Projected on 82 games, that was a 41-point pace. This year, he’s on pace for just 31 points, which would be a regression. However, unlike Demidov and Kapanen, he hasn’t had much stability this season when it comes to linemates. The two rookies have been on the same line since day one, first with Alex Newhook, then with Kirby Dach, Slafkovsky and Alexandre Texier, before Martin St-Louis finally settled on the big Slovak. Sure, there was a bit of a rotating door for the third player on their line, but they at least had each other.
Bolduc first played with Dach and Brendan Gallagher, then with Joe Veleno and Owen Beck, then with Veleno and Joshua Roy, followed by Dach and Veleno, then with Josh Anderson and Jake Evans, before trying Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, then reverting to the fourth line with Veleno and Davidson. After that, he was put with newcomer Philip Danault and Anderson, before Gallagher replaced Anderson because of an injury. He’s now back with Danault and Anderson, but one fact remains: he has played musical chairs all season.
In St. Louis last year, he did have numerous linemates, but he spent significant time with Oskar Sundqvist. Stability is essential for a player; it helps foster chemistry. When Kent Hughes traded Logan Mailloux to get Bolduc last offseason, he expected more than what the 22-year-old has given so far, but he’s hardly been put in winning conditions.
Still, even though he only has 18 points, he’s third on the team in hits with 90, behind Veleno’s 97 and Arber Xhekaj’s 116. He has 14 more hits than Anderson, who comes in fourth place. When it comes to blocked shots, he’s 11th on the team with 23, but he’s sixth amongst forwards. The effort level is there, but he just hasn’t clicked with linemates yet; that will come in time.
Whichever way you look at it, Bolduc should be in Montreal for much longer than Veleno or Samuel Blais. He doesn’t look like a headless chicken out there; he knows what he’s doing, and he’s playing the right way. When Anderson returned, it was Gallagher who was demoted to the fourth line, not Bolduc.
Despite the low production, I believe the Canadiens will be patient with Bolduc, not only because there’s more to it than points, but because there’s a lot of potential there; it’s just a matter of unlocking it, something St-Louis has proven to be great at so far.
Could he benefit from some time in the AHL, where he has only played 54 games? Maybe, but if the Canadiens think that’s the case, they could send him down during the Olympic break. Then he wouldn’t miss any Habs games, but he could benefit from some time with Pascal Vincent.
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