Today, we say goodbye to August and as we turn the page to tomorrow, the first day of September, that means one thing - the NHL's return for the 2026-27 season.
It's felt like a very long offseason to this point and for the most part, it hasn't been all that busy for many clubs around the National Hockey League, including the Montreal Canadiens, who are hoping to replicate last season's success during the upcoming campaign.
The Canadiens have made a few trades so far this offseason, albeit minor ones that'll benefit their American Hockey League affiliate in Laval more than the NHL club. On the signing front, the most notable free agent signing was former Pittsburgh Penguins first round pick Samuel Poulin, who returns to his home province of Quebec.
Internally, the Canadiens were able to get some business done early in July as they locked up forward Ivan Demidov and goaltender Jakub Dobes to eight and three-year contract extensions, respectively.
With training camp nearly two weeks away, Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes is far from done as he still needs to lock up restricted free agent forward Zachary Bolduc and defenseman Arber Xhekaj.
Montreal Canadiens Face Key Decisions With Zachary Bolduc & Arber Xhekaj
16 days stands between us and the start of the Montreal Canadiens' training camp and it goes without saying that Kent Hughes would have loved to get both Bolduc and Xhekaj signed by now, but unfortunately for him, that didn't happen. Given that both players are still unsigned, there have been questions about their respective futures in Montreal and understandably, trade rumors have popped up.
In an article for the Montreal Gazette earlier this month, Stu Cowan said that with Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj still looking for new deals, he wouldn't be surprised if they end up part of sign-and-trades prior to the opening of training camp on Wednesday, September 16th.
"The fact neither player has signed yet leads me to believe they could become part of sign-and-trade deals before Sept. 16 — like the one the Canadiens made last summer to acquire Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders after he had agreed to an eight-year, US$76-million contract as a restricted free agent." Cowan said.
Bolduc, 23, had a good, but steaky, first season with the Montreal Canadiens after being acquired from the St. Louis Blues last summer. The Trois-Rivieres native played up and down the lineup for the Canadiens throughout the year, finishing the regular season with 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists - new career-high) in 78 games. He followed that up with seven points in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
There's certainly a spot for Bolduc in Montreal's lineup, which is why I think of the two remaining RFAs, he's more likely to stay. Now when it comes to Arber Xhekaj, as I've talked about before, you can make the argument for and against keeping him. He does bring that tenacity and physical edge the Canadiens need, but at the same time, it doesn't feel like there's a regular spot in the lineup for him anymore.
Coming into training camp, the Canadiens have their defensive corps locked up, aside from the aforementioned Arber Xhekaj. Combine that with the fact you're going to see Adam Engstrom, David Reinbacher and Maksymilian Szuber make a push for a place on the opening night roster and suddenly you're left without a guaranteed spot for Xhekaj.
Xhekaj knows this, the Canadiens coaching staff knows this and so does the team's management staff. The best course of action, in my opinion, would be to move him to a team where he'd actually have a chance at playing night in, night out. The return in an Arber Xhekaj trade wouldn't be much and quite frankly, doesn't matter, as long as you're able to chip away at that logjam on the blue line.
Aside from the unsigned Xhekaj, Jayden Struble could be a trade candidate. It's very unlikely that the Canadiens would begin the season with both Xhekaj and Struble on their opening night roster. They both play a similar game and at most, are third pairing defensemen. With all due respect to both players, bottom pairing defensemen are a dime a dozen in the National Hockey League. We'll see where this goes, but I just can't see both players being on the roster when the season begins against the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 29th.
Montreal Canadiens Owner Geoff Molson Comments on Bolduc, Xhekaj Situations
Last week, while appearing at a golf tournament in Quebec, Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson was asked about his thoughts on the contract situations involving Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj.
Molson kept it short and sweet, saying that he's not worried whatsoever about the contract negotiations between Bolduc, Xhekaj and their respective camps, adding that he believes it'll be resolved in due time.
"We always look forward to resolving issues involving important players. And I have no doubt that it will be resolved, but am I worried? No." Molson said to RDS.
Why both players haven't signed yet is a question that no one knows at this time, but from a financial standpoint, the Canadiens have more than enough cap space remaining to get these deals done. According to PuckPedia, the Canadiens have $9.78 million in available cap space and are able to go 10% over the cap, as long as they're compliant by opening night.
Again, we'll see where things go over the next couple of weeks, but it's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out for everyone involved and if Bolduc and/or Xhekaj are with their teammates for the Canadiens' first on-ice session of training camp.