Let The Bald Man Cook! Habs Trade Mailloux to St. Louis for Bolduc

Day 1 of NHL free agency was pretty quiet for the Montreal Canadiens in terms of signings. However, Kent Hughes did make a sneaky big move for the team by trading defenseman prospect Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Quebec native forward Zachary Bolduc.

Let’s talk about it real quick.

I’ll be honest... I didn’t watch a ton of Blues hockey this year outside of the playoffs, so I don’t know a ton about Bolduc. But from what I can tell, the numbers are promising. At just 22 years old, he fits right into Montreal’s young core. He put up 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points and was a +20 on the year this past season.

Based on the reaction I have seen on Twitter from people I trust, they state that Bolduc was really starting to find his game down the stretch. Plus, he’s a Quebec native, so there’s something nice about seeing him come home.

Now, on the Logan Mailloux side of things, with Noah Dobson coming in and the Canadiens’ defensive core looking more and more crowded, it was going to be tough for Mailloux to earn a regular spot. A fresh start in St. Louis could be exactly what he needs, especially on a team looking to build with young defensemen.

Back to the Habs, adding Bolduc to the young core is nice, but he does not truly fill the hole the Habs currently have at center behind Nick Suzuki. Going forward, the Canadiens still need to find a true number two center to play with Ivan Demidov, but I like that Kent Hughes didn’t overreact or overpay for anyone just to say he did it. I like that Hughes is being patient, and when someone comes available who he believes is the right piece, that is when he will pounce.

To end off, Hughes said at his press conference that he is comfortable going into the season with his current forward group, but I am not totally convinced one more major isn't coming.

By adding another winger and with only 1 year left on his deal, I think it is worth asking... does this make Patrik Laine expendable? While a trade would be difficult, I just wouldn't be shocked if Laine isn't on the roster come opening night.

Whatever happens, keep cooking, Kent! Can't wait for the next season and to see what's ahead for this young Canadiens team.

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