Zachary Bolduc has delivered a message Martin St-Louis will certainly want to hear. It is the kind of statement the Montreal Canadiens head coach will surely appreciate.
The 23-year-old forward made clear he wants to earn his role, not demand it the way some players unfortunately do far too often. In an interview with RDS, Bolduc showed plenty of maturity when discussing how he could be used moving forward.
Asked about his role, he got straight to the point:
“You always want a bigger role, more responsibility, and more ice time, but those are all things you have to earn. It’ll be up to me to show up to camp and prove that I can help this team when I’m out on the ice, earn my minutes, and take on more responsibility. I don’t really dwell on it—those are things I can’t control, so I leave that in my coach’s hands.”
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It is hard to ask for much more from a young player. Bolduc is putting the focus on effort and controlling what he can control, without complaining.
Last season he recorded 30 points, including 12 goals, in 78 games. Used in a supporting role, he will view training camp as an opportunity to move up the depth chart. Bolduc has a real chance to earn a top-six role at Canadiens camp.
That kind of message will certainly resonate with Martin St-Louis, a coach who rewards effort and attitude. Now it is up to Bolduc to turn those words into action at camp.
With his next contract still unsigned, the timing of these comments carries extra weight. Rather than leverage or public pressure, Bolduc is issuing a quieter form of notice: he is ready to compete for more ice time and responsibility on merit alone. The opportunity is there, whether alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield or on a line with Ivan Demidov.
Personally, I believe Zachary Bolduc deserves a bigger role, possibly even on the first or second line. He will have to prove it at camp. The words are already the right ones. The performance will decide how far they take him.