Montreal Canadiens Role Profiles: Zack Bolduc

Luckily for Bolduc, his season was redeemed by a great playoff performance, where he upped his game by scoring timely goals and being a physical presence during the 19-game run. Bolduc finished the postseason with three goals and seven points, but where he excelled most was being a physical presence on the third line. He led all Montreal Canadiens forwards in hits during the playoffs with 47. 

The physicality was something that started to show more towards the end of the season, when, despite not being able to score as much, Bolduc figured out another way that he could contribute to the team. Bolduc has a great shot, but there will be times when he is in a slump; when that happens, a player needs to find a way to contribute, and that’s exactly what the 23-year-old forward was able to do in the later stages of his slump.

As a result, the 2026-27 season should see Bolduc have a better year. He will also have the opportunity to play on the second line if the Montreal Canadiens don’t make any moves to acquire a top-six winger before the regular season starts. Given that he is only 23 years old, Bolduc is not done developing, and after having his sophomore slump, he could potentially be one of the most improved players on the Canadiens this upcoming season. 

He has shown in the past that he can be a perennial 20-25 goal scorer in the NHL with both the Blues and the Canadiens; Bolduc just needs to find more consistency in his game to be that player going forward. If he does get the chance to play with Ivan Demidov on a second line, Bolduc could easily hit 25 goals with his hard wrister from the slot. 

Although if he plays with Demidov, he’s likely to score more goals, Bolduc also has a history of being an inconsistent goal scorer and will therefore need to find ways to still contribute in some way. The lack of physical engagement early in his goal slump last year likely played a factor in Bolduc’s struggles lasting longer than they should have. Once he started hitting more, the Canadiens winger began to gain confidence in his game again. Therefore, Bolduc will need to continue implementing his physical side alongside his goal scoring to remain a productive player for his team.

By playing that way, it is possible that Bolduc could also go back up to the first line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, where he briefly had a good run in December last season. In fact, on last Friday’s episode of the Sick Podcast, my colleagues Shayne Gaumond and Matthew Ohayon discussed why Bolduc may be the ideal third player for Suzuki and Caufield. When Bolduc played with the two Montreal Canadiens star forwards, he made sure to remain that third player and just got himself in the right spots to convert on scoring plays. Unfortunately, the same thing happened with Alexandre Texier at one point, which pushed Bolduc off the top line. 

While Juraj Slafkovsky is probably the best overall option next to Suzuki and Caufield, it can be argued that the power forward is better off driving his own line on the opposite wing of Demidov.  If Bolduc can show that he fits well with Suzuki and Caufield, it could allow the Canadiens to run a second very dangerous line with both Slafkovsky and Demidov again.

Before Bolduc can show that he is a top-six option with the Montreal Canadiens, he still needs to sign an extension as he remains an RFA with less than a month until training camp. Unlike Arber Xhekaj, whom I discussed earlier this week, there aren’t many rumours that Bolduc may be traded, which doesn’t give the fans and media any reason to believe that he won’t be signed once training camp begins.

Bolduc spoke to the media earlier this week, before the Sun Life Pro-Am game in Quebec City, where he discussed the topic of a contract extension.

“I’d love to play in Montreal for several seasons. But on the other hand, management have to make their own decisions too. As I said, I’m not going to get ahead of myself on anything, but I trust my agent on that end, and I’m confident that good things are coming,” Bolduc told the media. 

While nothing is confirmed yet, Bolduc wants to play with the Canadiens, and unless a trade involving him happens, there is a good chance he signs before training camp. With that being said, this season should be his chance to show that he truly can be a top six forward. Expect him to get a chance to play with either Demidov or Suzuki and Caufield, where he has had success before. As a result, don’t be surprised if Bolduc breaks out and has a 25-30 goal season by having more skilled offensive players during the 2026-27 campaign. 

Do you think Bolduc has what it takes to be a complementary top-six forward with the Canadiens, or is he better suited in a third-line role?

Check out yesterday’s Montreal Canadiens role profile on goaltender Jakub Dobes.