As the dust settles on the St. Louis Blues’ meteoric finish to the regular season, its evident that the young NHL players on this team are starting to gain serious traction in their development. With significant contributions from Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, and Jake Neighbours all playing key roles in getting them to their first playoff appearance since 2022, its easy for fans to get excited about the immediate future of this team, its first round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets (check out Mike Meyer's playoff primer), as well as its long-term future. The question is, can you forecast what they’ll look like at their best?
Jordan Kyrou Rookie Season Comparison
A bonafide sniper with a lethal shot, authoritative one-timer and positive skating ability, you can see glimpses of how Zachary Bolduc will find the most success in the NHL already; by finding the back of the net. Bolduc finished the regular season with 19 goals (4th in the NHL among all rookies) and 17 assists for 36 points in 72 games played. He racked up a +/- of +20 (1st in the NHL among rookies) and tied Jordan Kyrou for the team lead in power play goals with 7. By comparison, Kyrou’s first full season in the NHL, he scored 14 goals, 21 assists or 35 points in 55 games played at the age of 22 and averaged 14:25 of TOI. However, as similar as these stat lines are, Bolduc also finished the season with 108 hits as well as 36 blocked shots, a testament to his physicality. Compare that to Kyrou in 2021 who had 7 hits and 13 blocks, there’s a clear separation in style there already for the 17th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Dylan Holloway Rookie Season Comparison
As a rookie with the Edmonton Oilers, it was difficult for Dylan Holloway to find ice time only averaging 9:35 per game. Still, he scored 3 goals, 6 assists, and 9 points while blocking 16 shots and tallying 83 hits at the age of 21. Bolduc’s point totals this season with substantially more ice time (12:48 per game) are higher, but we can see that Holloway hit more (165) and blocked shots more (50) based on our sample size. Dylan Holloway's injury has temporarily thrown water on his scorching hot run of play, but he's been one of the St. Louis Blues' most productive players all season, particularly post 4 Nations Tournament.
Conclusion
Given the comparisons, fans can expect Zachary Bolduc to flourish as a hybrid of Holloway and Kyrou and will find his talent level somewhere in between the two when he enters his prime. Kyrou may still hold the edge on him in terms of overall playmaking and goal scoring, and Holloway may end up with more hits per season, but Bolduc’s toughness and edge is admirable and should provide for a well rounded top six player you can rely on to score goals, tally assists, block shots, bang bodies, and will provide versatility to Jim Montgomery up and down the lineup.
Playoff Effectiveness
What can you expect from Zachary Bolduc in his first career NHL playoffs action? Mismatches. Think Robert Thomas in 2019 on the 3rd line with Pat Maroon and Tyler Bozak. There aren't many teams in the NHL as deep as the St. Louis Blues in the NHL and the Winnipeg Jets are included in that group. Going up against a 3rd line that consists of Brandon Tanev, Adam Lowry, and Mason Appleton, Zachary Bolduc's speed, physicality, shot creation, and playmaking ability should all stand out from the pack as well as his continued dominance on the power play. With a rapidly developing chemistry between him and star center Robert Thomas, look for Zachary Bolduc to make key contributions early and often.