Canadiens acquire forward Zachary Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues
Jul 01, 2025
The Canadiens had a busy day on Tuesday with the opening of free agency in the NHL.
The organization started off with a trade in the morning, acquiring forward Zachary Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux. Then, the Club agreed to terms on one-year, one-way contracts with forward Samuel Blais and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen before announcing one-year, two-way deals with forward Alex Belzile and defenseman Nate Clurman.
The team also said farewell to some of its unrestricted free agents who signed with other teams, with Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak inking one-year contracts with the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, respectively, while Michael Pezzetta signed with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs for two years.
General manager Kent Hughes met the media in the early afternoon to discuss the opening of free agency, while Habs newcomers Bolduc and Blais also took questions from reporters via Zoom after joining the organization.
It’s a part of my identity now. I’m a good skater who’s not afraid to play physically. I’m also the kind of guy who can make plays for his teammates and score goals. I want to improve on all these details in my game and playing a physical game is a part of my DNA.
I think it’s a question of determination. I think if you want something, you can get it. There are details in the game that you don’t need to apply in junior, necessarily, but that you need to apply at the pro level in the AHL or NHL. Like I said, it’s a question of determination.
I really wanted to play in the NHL, and I really wanted to play in the AHL. Every stage has many obstacles, but you have to learn from those obstacles and use them. […] I had the chance to play a full season last year, but I still have a lot of things to improve on […]. That’s really what I’m going to focus on.
