Montreal Canadiens: Kreider, a Source of Motivation

It was a summer of mostly quiet around the Montreal Canadiens, with the annual golf tournament and training camp rapidly approaching. Then, a surprising signing suddenly changed the landscape and with it, the conversation around the team, igniting plenty of discussion in both the media and on social media.

There has been plenty of exchanges about the impact Chris Kreider could have on Juraj Slafkovsky. It makes sense. Kreider is a veteran power winger who has spent years making a living around the net, creating havoc, scoring goals and generally making life miserable for opposing defensemen.

Slafkovsky, meanwhile, is a young power winger who is still figuring out exactly how to put all the pieces of his considerable game together. The biggest thing missing from Slafkovsky’s game isn’t necessarily knowledge or talent. It is consistency. He needs to bring that same physical presence, effort and offensive confidence to the rink every night, rather than allowing his game to fluctuate from one night to the next. He has improved in that aspect this past season, but there’s room for improvement.

Kreider could certainly help with that. But I suspect his greatest impact may be felt on another young left winger: Zachary Bolduc.

Bolduc’s contract negotiations had been dragging on throughout the summer. Reports suggested the Canadiens had initially offered something in the neighbourhood of $4-$4.5 million per season, with the two sides apparently separated over both term and the role Bolduc would have in the lineup. The latter is particularly interesting because, reportedly, Bolduc was looking for a bigger offensive role. Considering the way he finished last season and the promise he showed, it wasn’t exactly an unreasonable request. Young players tend to have a healthy opinion of themselves, and frankly, they should. Confidence is part of the job description.

Then Chris Kreider became available.

Kent Hughes signed the former Ranger and Duck to a one-year contract, and the very next day Bolduc agreed to a four-year deal carrying a $4.2 million annual average value. Is that coincidence? Maybe. But I have been around hockey long enough to know that sometimes, the timing tells you more than the press conference does.

Kreider is currently pencilled in as the left winger on the second line alongside Ivan Demidov. That is precisely the sort of opportunity Bolduc presumably had his eye on. Instead of being handed that spot, he now has to compete with a veteran who has scored 319 regular-season goals in the NHL and has spent years making a living by doing the things coaches notice. Kreider knows how to get to the net, knows how to play a heavy game and, perhaps most importantly, knows what it takes to survive when the games matter most.

That should be one heck of a motivation for Bolduc.

The message to him, whether anyone has actually sat him down and delivered it in those exact words or not, is pretty simple: Chris Kreider is here for one year. If you want his spot, go take it. If you can’t do it this season, then use the experience to make sure you are ready to take it the following season.

There is actually something healthy about that kind of competition. Bolduc isn’t being told that his opportunity has disappeared. Quite the opposite. He is being shown exactly what the organization expects from a player occupying that position. Sometimes the best motivation isn’t a coach yelling at you. Sometimes it is the guy sitting in your chair who has spent 15 years proving he belongs there.