Canadiens notebook: Latest buzz around Matheson, Bolduc and Xhekaj

MONTREAL — You know 2026 off-season fatigue has hit its peak when a potential 2029 expansion draft has already dominated over a week’s worth of chatter.

Not to keep that yarn rolling when it’s already unraveling at terminal velocity, but since Montreal Canadiens blogs and podcasts have been pumping out probable protection lists like the expansion draft is happening next week, let’s start here: Mike Matheson won’t be exempt — and not just when the defenceman’s no-movement clause turns into a partial no-trade clause three summers from now.

Should the National Hockey League’s 33rd team come into existence even sooner than expected and an expansion draft be held in either 2027 or 2028, Matheson’s no-movement clause still won’t provide him exemption. That was negotiated with the Canadiens before he signed his five-year, $30-million extension last October.

So, keep making your lists and checking them twice while keeping that tidbit in mind.

If this extension is causing Canadiens fans a bit of unrest, Zachary Bolduc certainly didn’t appear to be losing sleep over it six weeks ago when he told La Presse’s Guillaume Lefrancois he wasn’t worried about it, that it was in agent Pat Brisson’s hands, and that it would “get taken care of soon.”

I’m not sure it’s coming today, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t done before the Canadiens report for physicals on Sept. 16.

Neither Brisson nor the Canadiens are talking about it, but a three-year deal at around $4 million per year makes sense to me.

If it’s not that, it could be two years, it could be four years, but I’m not betting on one or eight. I think something shorter-to-medium term benefits both parties, and we’ll see if they agree.

Either way, I expect Bolduc to take a considerable step forward in his development now that he’s had a full season under coach Martin St. Louis and gained 175 games of NHL experience since 2024. Real signs of progress during Montreal’s 19-game run through the Eastern Conference Final make me feel he’s ready for that, even if the numbers weren’t overwhelming.

They were still respectable, though, with Bolduc collecting three goals and seven points while averaging only 11:23 per game. 

More importantly, the six-foot, 187-pound winger found the straightforward, hardnosed identity that initially made him appealing to the Canadiens during his rookie season with the St. Louis Blues. Consistently tapping into that enabled him to play some of his best games in bleu, blanc et rouge when it mattered most. 

So, now the hope is for Bolduc to build on it.

That’ll he’ll likely start with more runway to do it should only help.

Then it’ll be up to Bolduc to extend that runway by processing the game and playing with the level of detail expected of a player who’s accrued as much experience as he has over the last couple of years. 

Even if Xhekaj knows his teammates feel that way about him, it’s always good to hear it stated publicly. Especially while he remains unsigned a little over two weeks from the start of training camp.

No one else of note is talking about his contract negotiation publicly or privately. Contacts on both sides of it are mum, so I’m presenting my own opinion of where I believe things stand.

I believe fair-value contract options are on the table for Xhekaj, but I also think he’s concerned about locking himself into anything with the Canadiens before having a clearer pathway to regular usage. 

Xhekaj thought it was coming last season after his best NHL training camp to date, but he stumbled out of the gate and never really found the balance he hoped to achieve. 

There’s no doubt a big part of that was playing under 12 minutes in 40 games and being scratched from another 17. 

Xhekaj also played well to start the playoffs but was still held out of Game 7 against Tampa Bay in the first round. And then he was scratched from all five games against the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 3 after a solid performance against the Buffalo Sabres in Round 2. So, it wouldn’t be crazy for him to be reluctant about continuing in the same situation moving forward. 

That would at least explain why Xhekaj didn’t file for arbitration when he had the chance — a process that would’ve likely ended in August with a one- or two-year settlement with the Canadiens.

I don’t think Xhekaj was prepared to commit then. And I think part the reason he’s still not quite ready is he knows the Canadiens have a versatile, talented and overcrowded blue line they’ll eventually deal from to address needs at forward and that such a deal could either involve him or create the space for him to have more runway in Montreal.

If that’s the case, I understand Xhekaj’s position, because in either of those scenarios his value would likely increase (even if the increase could — and probably would — be marginal).

Still, I can’t help but wonder just how long Xhekaj is willing to wait. Because waiting too long could cost him valuable preparation time for the season and that cost could outweigh the benefit of holding out, especially since the type of deal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is trying to swing rarely materializes in the pre-season.

We’ll find out if Xhekaj agrees. 

I believe his main desire is to keep playing in Montreal, and I believe the Canadiens — who are in one of the nastiest divisions in hockey — want to keep him. 

But we’ll see how much time this takes to get settled.