Bolduc, Mantha, Khanin – Pro Hockey Rumors
The Canadiens still have some work to do on the RFA front this offseason. After re-signing Kirby Dach earlier this week, they still have six players in need of new deals. Among those is winger Zachary Bolduc, whose entry-level contract has now expired. Speaking with Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse, the 23-year-old indicated that he’s not worried that a deal isn’t done yet. Lefrancois reports that the team has floated a pair of concepts to him, a two-year bridge pact and a longer-term five-year agreement.
Bolduc is four years away from UFA eligibility so a five-year framework is a little puzzling – teams typically like to add more than one year of control – although it would keep the price tag under control. Bolduc had 12 goals and 18 assists in 78 games last season but fared a little better in 2024-25 with St. Louis, tallying 19 goals and 17 helpers in 72 contests. AFP Analytics projects a bridge pact would cost around $3.6MM per season while their long-term projection is a seven-year agreement worth a little over $6MM per campaign.
Montreal has a little under $10MM in cap room at the moment, per PuckPedia. While there are six RFAs still needing new deals, four of those are likely AHL-bound with Bolduc and defenseman Arber Xhekaj the only ones who will cut into that cap space. That means that as their roster stands, they easily have the flexibility to work out either type of agreement with Bolduc.
More from Montreal:
- New Jersey winger Anthony Mantha met with the media yesterday (video link) to discuss his new two-year, $9.5MM deal. During that session, he acknowledged that the Canadiens showed some interest in him early on in free agency. However, no offer was formally made with his camp waiting for a week to see if one would come in. While Montreal is believed to be looking to add to their forward group, it looks like their interest in the 31-year-old was rather tepid despite the fact he was coming off a career year that saw him score 31 goals and 33 assists with Pittsburgh.
- One of Montreal’s prospects is on the move as the VHL announced this week that Makar Khanin has joined AKM Tula Region. The 21-year-old was a seventh-round pick back in 2024, going 210th overall following a promising VHL year with St. Petersburg where he had 27 points in 35 games. However, he hasn’t had that many points combined since then and is coming off a campaign that saw him notch just two goals and five assists in 19 appearances. This will be Khanin’s third VHL team in the last seven months as he looks to get back on track in his development.
