Bolduc was a first-round pick who has plenty of potential, but he has yet to truly show what he can do, making it rather hard to put a number on what his next contract should be worth or even to sign him to a long-term deal that isn’t too risky, as there are still a lot of unknowns there. A three-year pact like the one signed by Graf could be a good compromise for both parties. It would give the Habs more time to evaluate what they have on their hands with Bolduc, and it would give him more time to show what he can do. I previously wrote that a three-year bridge deal worth between $4 million and $4.5 million would make sense, and that’s exactly where Graf’s deal landed. Given how good Hughes has been at making his players sign team-friendly deals, I believe this is the most likely outcome for Bolduc.
