Zachary Bolduc's Ice Time Raises Questions About His Role Under Martin St-Louis
Zachary Bolduc doesn't seem to have Martin St-Louis' confidence - and the week out West really proves it.
The Montreal Canadiens' recent Western road trip brought several takeaways. While most were positive, a few were less encouraging...
One in particular stands out: the case of Zachary Bolduc.
As reported by Félix Forget of DansLesCoulisses, the Quebec-born forward seems to have lost some ground in Martin St-Louis' plans...
"In fact, if we look at the four games played during the Western trip, we notice that, in reality, Bolduc was the regular forward who averaged the least ice time per game." - Félix Forget
Who would've thought?
After his incredible start to the season, certainly not me!
That statistic says a lot - a whole lot - about the young player's situation...
Zachary Bolduc loses ice time while Joe Veleno earns points
Still according to Forget, only Arber Xhekaj - a defenseman whose ice time has also been a topic of discussion - spent less time on the ice per game on average than Bolduc among the team's regulars during the trip.
When you put that into perspective, it's even more surprising:
"It's quite something considering that, during that stretch, Joe Veleno (who started the year in the press box) played more than Bolduc."
- Félix Forget
- Félix Forget
At least Bolduc hasn't been completely removed from the power play.
"And that's despite the fact that Bolduc still gets some power play time (even though he lost his spot on the first unit)," Forget added.
It's not unusual for young players to go through this kind of adjustment period - especially under a demanding coach like Martin St-Louis.
"I think his defensive details are much better than they were at the start of camp," St-Louis said cautiously, responding skillfully. "I liked his intentions. It's encouraging."
- Martin St-Louis
- Martin St-Louis
In my opinion, one thing is certain: with the Canadiens' current depth, Bolduc will need to make the most of every shift to regain his coach's trust.
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