Habs Daily: Projected Forward Lines, Bolduc, Improved Lineup

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Wednesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

Okay, so the Habs don’t necessarily have a bona fide No.2 centre in the lineup, but they do have options, and those options improved with the fantastic trade that saw Zachary Bolduc join the organization. In our (very early) projection, Bolduc serves as a second-line forward. [Projected Canadiens Forward Lineup Including Bolduc]

Bolduc scored most of his goals on the third line last season, but his impressive production rate suggests he’s ready for an uptick in ice time.

Zachary Bolduc’s rank among St. Louis forwards, select 5v5 stats:

– on ice goal share: 66% (1st)
– on ice expected goals: 53% (2nd)
– goals/hour: 0.90 (2nd)
– points/hour: 1.79 (6th)
– TOI/game: 11:09 (11th)

Sure feels like a guy primed for a breakout with more minutes.

— Jonathan Willis (@JonathanWillis) July 2, 2025

In a bid to include more non-Habs related opinions, it seems that analysts are feeling bullish about Montreal potential after a good start to the offseason. [TSN]

The Canadiens continue to solidify their AHL lineup, signing prospect Sean Farrell and defenceman Marc Del Gaizo to one-year contracts.

Les Canadiens s’entendent sur les termes de contrats d’une saison à deux volets avec l’attaquant Sean Farrell et le défenseur Marc Del Gaizo.

Communiqué ↓ #GoHabsGo | Montblanc Boutique Montréalhttps://t.co/WuJKYWrMmd

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 2, 2025

National Hockey Now Network

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas continued to nibble away at the NHL free agent market Wednesday afternoon. After a handful of depth and second-chance forward signings, Dubas added his second left-handed blue liner with former Washington Capitals D-man Alexander Alexeyev. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

The Philadelphia Flyers kicked off NHL Free Agency by offering former Hab Christian Dvorak a one-year deal with a whopping $5.4 million cap hit. I think it’s safe to say the market on centres is rather thin this year. [Philadelphia Flyers]

The Vegas Golden Knights announced an extension for defenseman Kaedan Korczak. The contract, beginning in the 2026–27 season, runs for four years with an average annual value of 3.25 million. [Vegas Golden Knights]