A pending Senators Group Six free agent is looking to get a head start on the open market. Winners Agency announced on its Telegram page that they are now representing Samuel Bolduc and are looking at finding the defenseman a contract in the KHL next season.
The 25-year-old was acquired by Ottawa after the trade deadline from the Kings in exchange for forward Jan Jenik. However, because of the timing of the swap, he wasn’t eligible to be recalled despite a lengthy list of injuries on the back end. Instead, he had an increasing role with AHL Belleville and was productive for them, tallying 10 points in 12 games after putting up 21 in 56 with AHL Ontario prior to the swap.
This was the first time in four seasons that Bolduc didn’t see any NHL action. He has played in 52 games at the top level over parts of three years, all with the Islanders. Over that span, he managed four goals and four assists along with 56 blocks and 70 hits in 13:25 per night of playing time. Bolduc was non-tendered last summer to avoid arbitration eligibility and inked a one-year, two-way deal with Los Angeles soon after.
Bolduc will qualify for veteran status in the AHL next season thanks to crossing the 320-game mark between the NHL and AHL. Lineup spots for those players are capped at six, making it much more difficult to secure a contract despite a solid career thus far. Knowing this, it appears Bolduc will look to lock down a deal overseas and avoid running the risk of not being able to secure a two-way deal in NHL free agency.