BROSSARD, Que.— Jeff Gorton, currently executive vice-president of hockey operations for the Montreal Canadiens, appeared on *NHL Network* just four months before taking his current role. During the draft broadcast, he analyzed prospects in real-time.
He showed particular interest when Zachary Bolduc was selected 16th overall by the St. Louis Blues.
Gorton commented, “Beautiful skater, lots of talent here. He played with (2020 first-overall pick Alexis) Lafreniere (in junior), scored 30 goals as a 16-year-old, so he’s been on the map a little bit. Maybe a little bit undersized. But as he gets a little bigger and stronger, he can be a real top-six player for somebody.”
On Tuesday, shortly after the start of free agency, Gorton and Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes made a move, betting that Bolduc could become that player for Montreal.
While Bolduc has gained size since his draft day, the expectation isn`t for him to immediately step into a top role. The 22-year-old scored 19 goals and 36 points in 72 games last season, playing primarily on the fourth line for the Blues. Repeating that performance in a bottom-six position would be perfectly acceptable for the Canadiens next season.
The Canadiens recently traded Emil Heineman, a six-foot-two, 23-year-old forechecking winger who recorded 10 goals and 18 points in 62 games last season, as part of the deal that brought Noah Dobson to Montreal last week. There`s a strong feeling that Bolduc is an adequate replacement for Heineman, a sentiment shared both within the team`s front office and outside.
One executive from a Western Conference team texted, “Good skills, doesn’t cheat the game, puck follows him, good hockey brain. He’s got size, too.”
A scout interviewed on Tuesday afternoon noted that Bolduc possesses higher offensive potential than Heineman and added, “There’s some edge there, as well.”
These observations echo comments made by Hughes after meeting with the media, where he stated, “We really saw an improvement in terms of (Bolduc’s) physical play and physical implication over the course of the year, and that was something important to us.”
