- Canadiens have floated both a two-year bridge and a five-year deal to RFA Zachary Bolduc
- Bolduc says he isn’t worried and expects a deal in the coming days or weeks
- Read below for the contract projections and where Montreal’s cap sits
Zachary Bolduc isn’t sweating his next contract.
The 23-year-old winger is one of the last restricted free agents left on Montreal’s board, and he told Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse he’s confident a deal gets done in the coming days or weeks. Montreal has put two ideas in front of him, per Lefrancois: a two-year bridge or a longer five-year pact.
The five-year number is the odd one. Bolduc is four years from unrestricted free agency, so a five-year term buys Montreal only one extra year of control. It would keep the annual cap hit down, which is likely the point.
Here’s a look at what Bolduc brings on the ice:
Bolduc put up 12 goals and 18 assists in 78 games in his first season with the Canadiens after coming over from St. Louis in the Logan Mailloux trade. He scored 19 times the year before with the Blues. He also raised his game in the spring, chipping in three goals, four assists and 47 hits across 19 playoff games.
AFP Analytics projects a bridge deal lands around $3.6 million per year, with a long-term deal closer to $6 million. Montreal sits a little under $10 million below the cap, per PuckPedia, so either structure fits.
The winger did raise some eyebrows earlier this month when he sounded less than certain about his long-term future in Montreal:
He and defenseman Arber Xhekaj are the only two of Montreal’s remaining RFAs who actually cut into the cap, with the rest ticketed for the minors. The Canadiens already checked one name off this week when they re-signed Kirby Dach to a one-year deal.
Bolduc thinks it’s close. The only thing left to sort out is how the money gets structured.
