2nd center: Renaud Lavoie would like to see Zachary Bolduc in this chair

Dose
Crédit: Zach Bolduc of St. Louis Blues scoring during NHL game.

Zachary Bolduc was one of the Habs’ big off-season acquisitions. The Québécois, who had a fine first year in the NHL with the Blues, joins a young group of quality forwards in town. That said, in reality, his arrival doesn’t fill the biggest need in town: that of a second center. Bolduc, after all, played as a winger last season… and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen him play center on a regular basis.He did it in junior, but it’s been a while.Yet Bolduc was seen practicing in the face-off circle this summer… so much so, in the eyes of some, that he could be part of the solution to this problem.

Renaud Lavoie, for example, is among those who would see Bolduc in that chair if Kirby Dach isn’t ready to start the year. https://www.youtube.com/live/4uf73QQ9bHE?si=PaIFHXPfJwePsJK7&t=7986 [content-ads]If the Habs are looking for a left-handed center and have five wingers who can play in a top-6 (Caufield, Slafkovský, Demidov, Laine and Bolduc), the idea of using Bolduc at center is an interesting one. After all, there’s a reason why the Habs are encouraging him to work on his face-offs.That’s what I think guides the informant’s reasoning. And he’s not the only one who had this idea: during his appearance on the Sick Podcast this week, colleague Marc-Olivier Cook also mentioned that he’d like to see Bolduc get that chance.In the event that Dach isn’t ready, of course.

Obviously, everything will depend on Bolduc’s comfort level at center, but also on Dach’s state of health. Butaccording to Lavoie, Bolduc is the kind of player who could really help the Habs in such a role. He praised Bolduc’s intense, physical game, which will make the Québécois a crowd favorite in no time.Will it be as a center or a winger? The answer in the coming weeks[spacer title=’Overtime’]- Indeed.

– What do you think?

– Well done.