NHL Rumors: Bolduc Trade, Tavares in Court, and Cooper to the Maple Leafs? – The Hockey Writers – NHL Rumors

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, Zachary Bolduc wants to stay with the Montreal Canadiens but admitted he understands hockey is a business and that he could be traded. He talked about that possibility this week. Meanwhile, one analyst seemed to pluck an odd idea out of thin air and wondered if Jon Cooper to the Toronto Maple Leafs would ever be an option. Finally, John Tavares goes to court to testify in his case against the Canadian Revenue Agency for unpaid taxes.

Zachary Bolduc Talks Possible Trade

The Canadiens acquired Zachary Bolduc from the Blues for Logan Mailloux on July 1, 2025. Bolduc, coming off a strong rookie season (19 goals, +20 rating), started hot in Montreal but cooled to finish with 30 points and a -6 rating, though he showed promise with seven points in 19 playoff games.

Bolduc remains an unsigned restricted free agent, with Montreal weighing a bridge deal versus a long-term extension. Speaking to RDS, Bolduc said he wants to stay, but he’s unsure how it will play out.

“I’d love to play in Montreal for several seasons. But on the other hand, management has to make their own decisions too. Like I said, I’m not going to get ahead of myself on anything, but I trust my agent on that end and I’m confident that good things are coming.”

Could Jon Cooper Jump to the Maple Leafs?

It’s far too late now, but Jeff Marek said on a recent episode of The Sheet Podcast: ”I know the Maple Leafs have a new coach in Jim Hiller; this is probably unfair, but I do think that Jon Cooper is of the mind that that’s a real challenge that he would embrace.”

This feels like Marek running with an idea that would generate discussion but has no weight behind it. Cooper is committed to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hiller was just hired by the Maple Leafs. There’s no way this happens any time soon, if at all.

One fan argued that Toronto wouldn’t be the favorite to land Cooper. If the highly-respected coach were to leave the Lightning, his priority might be to align himself with Connor McDavid. The two have talked glowingly about each other, and it sounds like McDavid would be keen to play for Cooper. Perhaps Edmonton – who just hired Mike Babcock — would be a more likely landing spot.

John Tavares Going to Court

John Tavares testified this week in a tax court trial alongside former teammate Patrick Marleau, per a National Post report by Joseph Brean. The case concerns the $15MM signing bonus Tavares received in 2018 when he signed his seven-year, $77 million deal with the Maple Leafs, his hometown team—not his current contract.

At issue is roughly $8 million in disputed taxes. The Canada Revenue Agency argues the bonus should count as employment income, taxed above 50%, while Tavares maintains it was an “inducement” to sign with Toronto, warranting the 15% rate he already paid. The case hinges largely on how “inducement” is legally interpreted; the CRA has accepted that classification for other signing bonuses but not this one. Notably, there’s no allegation of dishonesty or wrongdoing against Tavares—just a dispute over how the tax law applies to his situation.

The CRA claims Tavares owes $6.8 million in additional taxes, plus $1.2 million in interest.