To be perfectly frank, Montreal Canadiens forward Zachary Bolduc hasn’t done anything recently to warrant a promotion. However, to be perfectly fair all the same, no Habs player really has, fresh off embarrassing, consecutive home defeats to the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars, against whom the Habs were outscored by a total of 12-1. However, someone has to step up, especially with Alex Newhook seemingly now out, after an awkward fall/trip into the boards last game. It may as well be Bolduc who steps up into Newhook’s spot on what at least should be considered the second line.
Demidov Ignites Newhook out of the Gate
After all, any line on which Calder Memorial Trophy frontrunner Ivan Demidov finds himself should be considered offense-first, especially looking at the early-season statistics of his linemates, with Newhook and Kapanen having helped to form the team’s second-most-common unit. With six goals and 10 points so far, Kapanen has at least entered the Calder scoring race himself. However, Newhook had been the story based on how he had largely flipped the script on how he has been perceived by fans, many of whom had still seen the trade that brought him to town as a mistake.
Keep in mind neither defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev nor forward Ethan Gauthier, the two prospects selected with the picks that went the other way (along with minor-league defenseman Gianni Fairbrother), have so much as played an NHL game yet. And the players taken at around where they were selected (between Nos. 31 and 37 in 2023) rarely become impact players in the NHL. And Newhook had actually enjoyed a fairly successful first year with the Canadiens in 2023-24, scoring 34 points in 55 games, before scoring a disappointing 26 points over a full 82 games last season.
The point is, Newhook had proven himself as someone who could contribute in a top-six role in the past. So, it shouldn’t be a complete shock he had jumped out of the gate with a pleasantly surprising six goals and six assists in his first 17 games of the season, before the injury, at least not riding shotgun with Demidov. And, with his injury, someone is going to have to take his spot, assuming head coach Martin St. Louis chooses to keep his lines otherwise largely intact, which is a coin flip following the two aforementioned losses, during which, again, no one has really looked good.
Related: Canadiens’ Bolduc Where He Belongs… in Middle Six
That includes Bolduc, who hasn’t scored this month and who only has four goals and six points after opening the season with four points in his first three games on a line with Brendan Gallagher, centred by Kirby Dach. However, in those first three games, however small the sample size, he proved himself at least capable of playing a top-six role too, despite it having made sense at the time to keep him put despite the offensive success. Now, the situation has changed dramatically.
Bolduc Makes Sense as Newhook’s Successor
Bolduc is no longer scoring with reckless abandon (far from it). However, it makes sense to not so much reward him but rather put him a position to succeed, seeing as Newhook is presumably no longer in a position to succeed alongside Demidov.
Maybe Demidov can develop chemistry with Bolduc, who did score an impressive 19 goals last season as a rookie with the St. Louis Blues, despite getting mere fourth-line minutes (12:48 compared to 13:25 this season). The fact both Bolduc and Newhook have lined up at left wing this season obviously factors in, but the fact Demidov is a supremely talented playmaker is more important. He can presumably get more out of the former than Dach, who should really just be focusing on finding his own legs and staying healthy after two season-ending knee injuries, or Gallagher, who’s most productive years are unfortunately well behind him at Age 33.
The Canadiens did just call up Jared Davidson, who’s tied for the American Hockey League lead with nine goals. And, while there’s some logic in placing him in the best to succeed right off the bat, i.e., in a scoring role, conceivably in place of Newhook, who’s also a left-handed shot who was drafted as a centre, the same should hold true of Bolduc, who’s actually younger 7.5 months younger and a proven NHL regular at this point. It’s just a matter of what his ceiling is. For the time being, based on current circumstances, fingers crossed it’s at least that of a second-liner.
Les Canadiens ont rappelé l’attaquant Jared Davidson du Rocket de Laval.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 14, 2025
The Canadiens have recalled forward Jared Davidson from the Laval Rocket.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/EwB6PCG6NX
The last few games have shown something needs to change. Moving Bolduc up to the Demidov line is the most obvious thing that should, realistically for the better, for the team as a whole.