The St. Louis Blues are patiently waiting for the official start to the 2025-26 season, with training camp right around the corner. Many things are happening behind the scenes at the moment, including the key signing of one of the Blues newest draft picks, Justin Carbonneau, to an entry-level deal.
But, let's look back at the start of the long Summer, and one of the first moves that this organization made to try and "better" themselves for next season. This deal, which has been described as a top under-the-radar move from Herman Dayal of The Athletic, might come back around and sting a lot more than originally anticipated.
Forward Zack Bolduc was moved to Montreal to help fill in a gap on the blue line, resulting in Logan Mailloux. The move was to supplement the future, as Montreal needed a potential top-six forward, and got a great one at that in Bolduc. And then St. Louis needed a right-handed shot on the blueline, to learn under the guise of a defenseman that may or may not have been a part of the top-20 in all the league for next season.
Bolduc trade might hurt more than help
General Manager Doug Armstrong had to do what he must when the Summer months hit to try and put together a complete hockey team for next season. A playoff appearance, though surprising and magical, last season, sparked a revelation that the Blues are going to be contenders for the Stanley Cup very soon.
Insert the Bolduc-Mailloux trade, filling a gap that was needed with a top-four talent. The only problem here is that Bolduc established himself as a player with a very high ceiling, with impressive goal scoring and the ability to play a ton of minutes. Mailloux has only played in eight career NHL games.
The disparity is the x-factor here. In a couple of years, we can all look back on this trade and give it an accurate grade, but it is still just to raw and new to judge. Mailloux could be a stud or a dud. As of now, Bolduc will likely be doing more good for Montreal than Mailloux will do in a third-line role on the Blues defensive end.