Habs Acquire Zachary Bolduc

The Habs have kicked off the start of free agency with a trade, sending defenceman Logan Mailloux to St. Louis in exchange for winger Zachary Bolduc.

The move is a swap of 22-year-old first-round picks from the 2021 draft.  Bolduc was the 17th pick by the Blues, a year after being the QMJHL’s Rookie of the Year, while Montreal took Mailloux 14 picks later at 31st overall.

Bolduc played in 25 games with St. Louis back in 2023-24 but had a regular role last season in their bottom six.  He had a strong second half, ultimately finishing up with 19 goals and 17 assists along with 108 hits in 72 games despite averaging less than 13 minutes a night of playing time.  That earned him an eighth-place finish in Calder Trophy voting.

As for Mailloux, he has spent most of his professional career in the minors with Laval.  He got into seven games with the Habs last season, recording two goals and two assists. Mailloux added 12 goals and 21 assists in Laval while adding six points in 13 playoff outings with the Rocket in their run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

With the Habs getting Noah Dobson last week and having David Reinbacher in the pipeline, the top two spots on the right side of the back end are likely to be filled for the long haul.  And with Lane Hutson in the mix, Mailloux’s offensive game wouldn’t have been well-utilized with Montreal.  Now, they’ve taken advantage of the high demand for right-shot defenders to land a capable piece in Bolduc.

At first glance, Bolduc likely is pegged to start the season in Montreal’s bottom six but the late-season uptick in goals suggests that he could be capable of moving up if needed.  He should add some secondary scoring to the mix and with four years of team control remaining after the upcoming season, he projects to be someone who can be with the Habs for a while.

Bolduc is in the final season of his entry-level contract with a cap hit of $863K.  Notably, he also has potential A bonuses worth $425K.  As long as Carey Price remains in Montreal and the team is utilizing LTIR, any bonuses that Bolduc reaches would then be charged against the 2026-27 salary cap.

Bolduc’s Stats:

Mailloux’s Stats: