Canadiens Trade Idea Sends Ducks Brilliant Top-6 Forward star to Montreal
There are really just four teams left in the Stanley Cup race, even as the NHL playoffs heat up and approach their final stretch. Though all teams are included in rumors, including the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens.
In a deal scenario covered by Eric Duhatschek of The Athletic on May 24, the Canadiens would send their 2024 first-round selection (No. 5) the other way around in order to acquire Anaheim Ducks top-6 forward Trevor Zegras.
Although Zegras has not asked for a trade from the Ducks, Eric Stephens of The Athletic wrote on February 29—prior to the March 8 trade deadline—that “there has been intense speculation that (Ducks general manager) Pat Verbeek might deal away Zegras.”
Zegras was eventually kept onto by the Ducks, who did not deal the forward in March 2024.
Offers Best Trade for Ducks Trevor Zegras
Readers of The Athletic offered the Ducks a few other Zegra-related trade possibilities to think about. Readers were curious about two packages presented by Zegras’ former team, the Philadelphia Flyers (who drafted Zegras but he never played for the organization), in addition to the Canadiens one.
Duhatschek, however, believes the Flyers are not in a position to acquire Zegras and his $5.75 million price charge, saying, “Philadelphia has a lot of salary-cap issues to navigate going forward.”
Ultimately, the insider concludes, “Anaheim declines both. Not enough for a player of Zegras’s potential, he said, adding, “In real life, simple often also works the best,” before dissecting Montreal’s win-win trade proposal.
The third overall selection in the 2024 draft is already owned by the Ducks. Accepting the package that the Habs are offering would earn them another top-5 pick and maybe two future homegrown franchise pillars that the team develops.
The Canadiens would have been in line with their plan to acquire a ready-made NHL forward with room for development if they had traded for Zegras. Duhatschek believes they will select a player of that caliber with the fifth overall pick in the draft, should the Habs retain it.
Montreal is most likely going for a forward at number five, Duhatschek said. Why not develop the pick into a 23-year-old NHL player who scored 65 points in 81 games two years ago before injuries ruined his 2023–24 campaign?
Two years ago, Zegras scored 65 points in 81 games. He is coming off a 15-point regular season in which injuries limited his appearances to 31 games. He ended the year with a minus-1 rating after scoring six goals and assisting nine.
Zegras is Available and Controllable
Credence to this fictitious scenario was added by Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, who spoke with Steve Kouleas on the Power Play Show on May 22 on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio.
Zegras is under contract and on the trade market through the end of the 2025–26 season, according to CapFriendly, so Pagnotta told Kouleas, “He’s available and he’s controllable.”
But since the Ducks chose to retain Zegras through the 2024 trade deadline, Pagnotta doesn’t believe there will be a deal involving him anytime soon.
No sense of urgency exists, Pagnotta added. It is not necessary for the Ducks to move. Probably beginning in the next several weeks, those discussions will build up and kind of lead into the draft.
Along with the Flyers, Pagnotta suggested the Canadiens as a possible Zegras landing place.
“One of the rumors circulating as to why he’s available and out there but there is interest in him is that he (Zegras) may want something with a little more pizzazz market-wise,” Pagnotta said. “The Canadians, I believe. Thought of Philadelphia. But if it appeared like Montreal was left out of that mix, I would be shocked.
With Zegras integrating with players like Nick Suzuki (the Habs’ top-line center, per Daily Faceoff) and Cole Caufield (the Habs’ top-line left winger), Montreal would have a dynamic offensive combination, depth, and more room for head coach Martin St. Louis to move players up and down the top-six.
