Blues’ Painful Mistake: Why Trading Zachary Bolduc Still Haunts St. Louis
Looking back now, it’s hard not to feel that the St. Louis Blues made a serious misstep when they traded Zachary Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, the move was framed as a long-term investment — sending a promising young forward in exchange for defensive prospect Logan Mailloux. But with the 2025–26 season now underway, the decision looks even more questionable than it did in the summer.
Bolduc, only 22 years old, had just wrapped up a strong 2024–25 campaign in St. Louis, scoring 19 goals and totaling 36 points across 79 games. He was seen as one of the most exciting young pieces in the Blues’ lineup — fast, creative, and steadily improving. His metrics backed it up too, ranking among the top four Blues skaters in both Goals Above Replacement (GAR) and Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Essentially, he was a player trending sharply upward, someone who could have anchored the team’s top six for years.
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And yet, he was traded. The Blues shipped him off to Montreal for Mailloux, a player with very limited NHL experience but strong AHL performances. It was a gamble — one that so far hasn’t paid off.
In Montreal, Bolduc started his new chapter in impressive fashion. He came out flying, scoring three goals and four points in his first three games. His confidence, his skating, his shot — all of it clicked. He looked like the player St. Louis had hoped he’d become. But his momentum slowed after lineup changes and injuries shuffled Montreal’s forwards. Now playing deeper in the lineup, his production has dipped, but his long-term value remains undeniable. The Canadiens clearly believe in him and see him as part of their core moving forward.
Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the situation with Mailloux hasn’t been ideal. Through his first handful of games, he hasn’t registered a point, holds one of the team’s worst plus-minus ratings, and has been a healthy scratch multiple times. Defenders do take longer to mature, yes, but his rocky start hasn’t inspired much confidence. The Blues, sitting near the bottom of the standings, could sorely use Bolduc’s offensive spark right now.
It’s easy to play the “what if” game in sports, but this one feels particularly painful. The Blues didn’t just lose a young, ascending forward — they may have lost a long-term difference-maker. Brayden Schenn, the team’s veteran center, is struggling and slowing down, while Bolduc could have been their ideal second-line center option behind Robert Thomas.
Time will tell if Mailloux eventually blossoms into a top-four defenseman, but for now, the early signs are clear: the Blues might have traded away their future for uncertainty. And as Bolduc continues to find his footing in Montreal, St. Louis fans can’t help but wonder — why did they ever let him go?
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