The Quiet Mystery Around Zachary Bolduc

Sometimes, the biggest stories in hockey don’t explode — they fade. Quietly, subtly, almost invisibly, until someone finally looks up and realizes something has changed.

For the Montreal Canadiens, that story might just be unfolding right now.

His name is Zachary Bolduc, a 21-year-old Quebec forward who was supposed to be one of this season’s brightest surprises. When training camp wrapped up, his skating looked sharp, his shot electric, his confidence undeniable. He earned every minute Martin St-Louis gave him — and for a while, everything pointed toward a breakout year.

Then something shifted.

It wasn’t dramatic, and that’s what makes it so intriguing. There was no benching, no controversy, no headline-grabbing mistake. Just a slow, almost imperceptible change — a few less shifts here, a minute shaved there. Until, all of a sudden, a player once trusted on the first power-play unit was skating the kind of minutes reserved for depth forwards.

Nobody quite knows why.

Fans started asking questions on social media. Reporters noticed the trend but hesitated to speculate. Inside the locker room, teammates shrugged it off with polite uncertainty. “Roles change,” one player said. “It’s a long season.”

Maybe it’s an adjustment period. Maybe it’s something tactical. Or maybe — and this is the theory gaining quiet traction — it’s something deeper.

After all, Martin St-Louis has a reputation. The Canadiens’ head coach has never been afraid to challenge his young players, even the ones with momentum. He did it with Cole Caufield. He did it with Kirby Dach. Sometimes, St-Louis pulls back a player’s ice time not to punish him, but to provoke him — to test how he responds when things stop going his way.

If that’s what’s happening here, Bolduc might be facing his biggest test yet.

Because for a young player, losing a coach’s trust isn’t always about effort — sometimes it’s about identity. Can you still play your game when the minutes disappear? Can you stay sharp when the spotlight dims?

There are whispers, of course. Hockey always has whispers. Some say he’s playing through a minor groin issue. Others believe it’s just a developmental nudge from a coach who sees long-term potential. Whatever the reason, one fact remains: Bolduc’s minutes are dropping, and the timing couldn’t be more puzzling.

It’s especially strange because the numbers still look good. Through 11 games, Bolduc has 6 points — including 4 goals — respectable for a young winger still finding his place. He hasn’t slumped. He hasn’t coasted. But his role has quietly shrunk anyway.

Something’s happening.

The question is: what?

Has Bolduc really fallen out of favor — or is Martin St-Louis pulling another one of his famous psychological chess moves, designed to turn a promising kid into a complete NHL player?

The answer might determine whether Zachary Bolduc’s season becomes a story of frustration… or transformation.

Either way, everyone in Montreal is starting to notice.

Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

It went unnoticed over the last few games, but we have some bad news concerning Quebec forward Zachary Bolduc.

He has clearly lost Martin St-Louis’ trust.

I’m not entirely sure how or why, because he had an incredible start to the season, but something’s going on here…

After starting the year on the first power-play unit and playing consistent games with 15 to 16 minutes of ice time, Bolduc’s ice time has been steadily dropping.

Obviously, that’s not good news for him.

What’s going on with Zachary Bolduc?

In 4 of the Canadiens’ last 5 games, Bolduc played between 10 and 11 minutes per game – ice time typical of a fourth-line player.

In recent games, we’re talking about

– 11 minutes 03 seconds
– 10 minutes 45 seconds
– 10 minutes 11 seconds
– 11 minutes 57 seconds
– And 13 minutes 28 seconds for Bolduc.

That’s similar to some of Michael Pezzetta’s 4-5 game stretches last season (in terms of ice time), which is quite unusual.

“In fact, if you look at the four games played during the Western road trip, you’ll notice that Bolduc is actually the regular forward who averaged the least ice time per game.” – DLC

Even Joe Veleno is playing more than Bolduc!

Not long ago St-Louis made some remarks regarding Bolduc and his game.

“He has to play the same way, no matter what role he has,” stated head coach Martin St-Louis very clearly and directly.

There are whispers that he may have suffered a groin injury (him too) and that he’s currently playing hurt… Could that explain things?

Despite that, it’s worth noting that Bolduc has a solid 6 points in 11 games this season, including four goals.

So why has he lost Martin St-Louis’ trust?

Personally, much like he did with Cole Caufield a few years ago, I believe Martin St-Louis simply wants to “challenge” his young player – to push him to become more complete and to make him earn every minute he gets.

And you, what’s your opinion on all this?