Less than three weeks before the start of training camp, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has yet to sign restricted free agents Arber Xhekaj and Zachary Bolduc to new contracts.
“Both are really important players,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said Thursday, when he met with media members ahead of the Heroes Golf Tournament to benefit the Asista Foundation at the St-Raphaël club on Île-Bizard. “Zach had a good year. He took steps throughout the season and into the playoffs. Obviously, Arber is a big and important piece for our locker room and on the ice. So, hopefully, both guys can get it done. There’s still plenty of time, so pretty hopeful.”
Sept. 16 is a date to watch when it comes to the contract situations for Xhekaj and Bolduc because that’s when the NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement kicks in, and it’s also when the Canadiens are expected to start training camp.
Among the changes to the CBA, players can’t sign for more than seven years with their current team, instead of eight, and signing bonuses will be capped at 60 per cent of the total value of the contract. That could be big in any sign-and-trade deals teams might be working on, like the one the Canadiens made last summer to acquire defenceman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders after he agreed to an eight-year, US$76-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of US$9.5 million.
Hughes would love to add a top-six forward and an experienced right-shot defenceman to the lineup, and you have to think Xhekaj, 25, and Bolduc, 23, are two players other teams would be interested in as part of any package deal. Bringing in a top-six forward and/or a defenceman would also have an impact on the Canadiens’ salary cap and what Hughes might be willing to offer Xhekaj and/or Bolduc if they remain with the team.
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It makes sense for Hughes to be patient and weigh all his options.
“If I had my druthers, we did it yesterday,” Hughes said when he last met with the media on July 1 after making no major moves when the free-agent market opened.
“There could be a trade in September or October,” Hughes added.
Hughes also noted he wouldn’t make a “dumb trade” just to appease Canadiens fans on a short-term basis.
Xhekaj had 1-3-4 totals in 65 regular-season games last season to go along with a team-leading 116 penalty minutes while having a salary-cap hit of US$1.3 million. The blue-liner was a healthy scratch for six of the Canadiens’ 19 playoff games, posting 1-1-2 totals and 28 penalty minutes in the 13 games he played. If Hughes does acquire a right-shot defenceman, there won’t be a spot for Xhekaj in the lineup.
Bolduc had 12-18-30 totals in 78 regular-season games with a salary-cap hit of US$863,334 and the forward played in all 19 playoff games while posting 3-4-7 totals.
Xhekaj’s agent, Brian Bartlett, had no comment on his client’s situation when reached Friday by text message. Bartlett did speak with The Gazette’s Herb Zurkowsky at the end of last month.
“We have a long time until the season starts,” Bartlett said at the time. “We have to try and figure out where he fits into the structure of the team. Montreal has some decisions to make. We have some decisions to make. There’s no panic.
“I think he’s a really good player,” Bartlett added about Xhekaj. “Good teams like good players. The communication has been positive with the management group. I don’t have any indication to think that things are going to go off the rail.”
Canadiens owner/president Geoff Molson was interviewed by RDS this week at a golf tournament and was asked about the Xhekaj and Bolduc contract situations.
“We’re always eager to see situations involving important players get resolved,” Molson said. “And I have no doubt that it will get done, but am I worried? No.”
Stay tuned.
I grew up dreaming of being an NHL defenceman or an MLB pitcher, but that didn’t happen. Fortunately, I was able to find another path to work in sports and have been part of The Gazette sports department since the early 1980s, including a 12-year stint as sports editor before becoming sports columnist in 2015. It’s a great job and I’m a lucky guy.
scowan@postmedia.com