What should the contracts look like for Bolduc and Xhekaj?
Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com and Full Press NHL joined TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj, and what their contracts could look like if and when they sign.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
When Will the Montreal Canadiens Re-sign Zack Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj?
Host: “Jim, just keeping it local here for a second. Habs Nation is wondering whether the (Zachary) Bolduc and (Arber) Xhekaj contracts were, I believe, Pete were one week away from the Habs golf tournament, which is, I think, the official kickoff of the 2026 Habs season. So, would Habs fans be expecting any one of these two contracts to drop between now and then?
Jim Biringer: “Knowing Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, the way they operate, they’re going to keep everything close to the vest. We’ve seen things announced at the golf tournament before. Why do I have a feeling they might do that again? They could do something this week. The old well, Vancouver did the old 5 o’clock news dump. I don’t see Montreal doing that. But sometime this week, I would expect that maybe they can get something hashed out with Bolduc and Xhekaj.
I think they weren’t rushing anything. The market again has been reset. But again, what does Kent Hughes want to do and pay a player that’s a bottom six forward and a 6, 7, 8 defenseman when you have players coming up like David Reinbacher, if he can step in?
NHL Rumors: When Will Arber Xhekaj and Zach Bolduc Sign New Deals in Montreal?
What does that mean for Arber Xhekaj? He wants to be here. Zachary Bolduc wants to be here. I think they’ll get fair market value, and I expect something before the start of training camp.”
Host: “Now, when it comes to Zach Bolduc in particular, I feel like this is a guy who can really be a part of the Canadiens future. Are you expecting a longer-term deal when looking at him?”
Biringer: “I could see a mid-range deal, like a three- or four-year deal, similar to what we saw with Alex Newhook when he signed his four-year deal; that’s something like that. They want to see, can he take that next level? Because everybody expects both of them to take that next level. They traded Logan Mailloux for him. They gave up a big asset. They expected him to come in. He played well again, adjusting to a new system.
I thought he played really well in the playoffs last year for Montreal. I think the way Kent Hughes operates, it’s something like a mid-range deal for him. I don’t know if they go full, full term on this. It feels like, again, they want to see the players that they have coming. It’s all about calculated moves for the Montreal Canadiens, and Bolduc feels like another calculated move.
NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Montreal Canadiens
A four-year deal makes the most sense to me. Just you see what you have, and then you move on, or you keep him, and you sign him again because that just feels like how Montreal operates. But I agree with you, Peter, this guy, there’s something special about this guy.
And if you go back to listening to Jeff Gorton when he was on NHL Network when he was drafted, that’s the type of player he wanted. It feels like, again, a four-year deal for me? Would I be shocked in five or six years? No, but it just feels like that’s the way the Canadiens do business.”
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