Canadiens Wrap
Habs Wrap: Bolduc Trade, Projected Canadiens Lineup, L.J. Mooney
MONTREAL — There’s always Montreal Canadiens news to be absorbed on a daily basis, but there are only so many hours in a day. On Sundays, we recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week so that you can stay in the Canadiens loop.
Tuesday
The Montreal Canadiens stole the show on draft day by acquiring talented defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders. The trade cost the Habs both their first-round picks (16th, 17th overall) and forward Emil Heineman. [BLOCKBUSTER NHL TRADE: The Canadiens Acquire Dobson]
On top of trading for a top-pairing defenceman, general manager Kent Hughes avoided losing any of his top prospects in the deal. There’s no doubt they paid a (relatively) steep price, but the trade should ensure a continued upward trajectory for the Habs. [Instant Analysis: Dobson Trade Smart Business By Canadiens]
Dobson immediately signed an eight-year contract extension worth $9.5 million per season, making him a core member of the Canadiens. The trade might also lead to a few other deals should the Habs require additional cap space. [Potential Canadiens Trades Following Dobson Blockbuster]
The Canadiens are reportedly still interested in adding Jordan Kyrou to the mix, though the Blues don’t seem to be in a rush to move the 30-goal scorer. [Latest Canadiens Trade Rumours: Dobson And Kyrou]
Canadiens still kicking tires on Jordan Kyrou. https://t.co/si6Zc5xehc
— Marco D’Amico (@mndamico) June 27, 2025
NBA champion Luguentz Dort was set to make one of Montreal’s picks in the first round, but the trade led to a different assignment.
Lugentz Dort 🏆🎤 pic.twitter.com/lhQLdgFbkN
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) June 28, 2025
Wednesday
The Habs started the day by once again swinging for the fences. They acquired talented forward Zachary Bolduc from the St-Louis Blues in exchange for defenceman Logan Mailloux. Bolduc enjoyed a fantastic year in the NHL last season, and while it’s true Mailloux is always a threat to score in the offensive zone, he barely improved his underwhelming play in the defensive zone during his two seasons in the AHL. [Canadiens Trade Mailloux To St-Louis Blues]
On top of trading for a top-pairing defenceman at the NHL Entry Draft, the Habs landed a very talented young man when they acquired Bolduc. His offensive production is encouraging, his defensive impact is excellent, and he’s just 22 years old. All things considered, this was yet another smart trade by general manager Kent Hughes. [Instant Trade Analysis: What To Expect From Zachary Bolduc]
The Habs also bolstered their AHL lineup, signing Alex Belzile, Kaapo Kahkonen, Samuel Blais, and Nate Clurman. There’s always a turnover in talent at the AHL level, but I’m excited to see Belzile back in the organization. You’ll find few players around the league that work harder every day, and he’s the perfect leader for the Laval Rocket.
Les Canadiens s’entendent sur les termes de contrats d’une saison à deux volets avec l’attaquant Alex Belzile et le défenseur Nate Clurman.
Communiqué ↓ #GoHabsGo | Montblanc Boutique Montréalhttps://t.co/KiBN6KJsBk
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) July 1, 2025
Even though I do my best to remain objective whenever a trade goes through, basing the analysis on facts rather opinions, there’s always a little bias that shines through. That’s why it’s always a good idea to see what the data analysis experts are saying about recent trades.
Still thinking about that Bolduc trade. What the hell are the Blues doing??
— EvolvingWild (@EvolvingWild) July 2, 2025
Thursday
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
Saturday
The Habs let Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Michael Pezzetta, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard walk in free agency, and though they weren’t the team’s most popular players, there’s no doubt the team lost a little depth. Fortunately, there are plenty of players waiting in the wings to take advantage of the liberated ice time. [Former Canadiens Players Find New Homes in Free Agency]
A highlight video featuring Montreal Canadiens prospect LJ Mooney through the years is ample evidence to suggest he was always one step ahead of the curve. [Habs Prospect – Mooney Impressive Youth Hockey Highlights]
Speaking of Mooney, he did well when presented with a fairly ridiculous question.
Reporter: “Do you know if you’re still growing by the way? Have you looked into it, from a medical point of view?”
LJ Mooney: “I’m not really sure. I don’t think it matters.” pic.twitter.com/QQXt6ArEFq
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) July 4, 2025
Hey Marc,
Any plans for a Struble arbitration article? What do you think he’ll get?
Also, I would love to read an article about who will be waiver eligible from us this year that we could potentially lose, plus who might be available around the league. 😁🤞
That’s a good question. It’s an aspect of having a pool of quality prospects that doesn’t get discussed much. Quality prospects want to move up and understand that it’s a short career window to make money. We can’t expect that these guys will be willing to bide their time in Laval until we need them on the big club. Struble is the first to show impatience.
I hate the expression “You can never have too many _____.” I always argue that one because you absolutely can have too many of a certain position. Kids need playing time and reps and when there are too many players at certain positions, they don’t get the opportunity to develop under the best circumstances that provide tons of quality ice time. It’s especially true for goalies. A prospect needs to be “the guy” and play, play, play. That’s why us drafting so many makes me wonder, where are they all going to play in a couple years? There’s only 1 spot to be a #1 goalie in Laval which is the last stop before Montreal. They can be “the guy” for their respective teams, but in order to develop they have to be “the guy” at the next level too. The same is true for guys we want to play in our top 6 forwards, top 4 D, etc. We draft a ton of kids that never get to be “the guy” at the next level. There just isn’t enough ice time to go around in Laval to accommodate them all. It slows their development and then our rights to them expire and we wasted a draft pick for nothing. The same holds true with waivers. We invest development in kids but they can’t develop fast enough to reach their potential before they become waiver eligible and then we lose those guys for nothing too. We let Dichow in net walk because our rights expired and the guy beats Canada at the WC this year. We are quite likely to lose Farrell on waivers after training camp ends this year. The list goes on. I know every team has the same system to deal with but when the pipeline is bursting, you can have too many _____ lest we lose them for nothing.