With the Philadelphia Flyers shocking the hockey world by moving on from their 2022 fifth-overall selection, Cutter Gauthier to the Anaheim Ducks for Jamie Drysdale, there are now rumblings that the Ducks’ star center, Trevor Zegras, is now available on the trade market.
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It is no secret that the Montreal Canadiens are in desperate need of some elite offensive skill at forward. General manager (GM) Kent Hughes could be on the market to fill that need and has been criticized for not pulling the trigger on a move at the 2023 Entry Draft table. This is a look at what he had available to him back then, why he chose not to fill the need, and how Zegras could fit with the Canadiens now if he were to be targeted to help advance Montreal’s rebuild.
Canadiens Fill One Need at the Expense of Another
The Canadians had needs to fill in June 2023, some of which remain unfulfilled almost a year later. The biggest need now, offence, and Hughes had not one, but two opportunities to fill that need. The Flyers were trying to trade Gauthier to Montreal at last year’s draft. The plan? Daniel Briere planned to trade Gauthier so Philadelphia could choose David Reinbacher and ensure Matvei Michkov would slide down to seventh. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense as to why they selected Oliver Bonk later in the first round as his game is similar to that of Reinbacher’s game. This plan, if successful would have solved two needs for the Flyers, a scoring winger and a potential top-pairing two-way right-handed defenceman.
In the end, Hughes said no. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic confirmed Hughes turned down an offer of Yaroslav Askarov and a first-round pick (which turned out to be sniper Matthew Wood) from the Nashville Predators, then Gauthier for the fifth-overall pick. Instead of selecting Michkov, or even Ryan Leonard, the Canadiens showed just how highly they viewed Reinbacher. This shows the value of the right-handed defender to Montreal, but also for the Flyers.
Zegras and the Canadiens
The Canadiens passed on Gauthier, who ended up in Anaheim, and now that deal could have a trickle-down effect of moving Zegras onto the trade block. So why would he be available? A significant reason is the makeup of the Ducks’ prospect pool. They now boast the likes of Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, and Mason McTavish up front. According to TSN, Ducks’ GM Pat Verbeek has mentioned Zegras in trade conversations this season. He has struggled during the 2023-24 season scoring only four goals and seven points in 19 games. A reason he could be available is that he missed all of the 2023-24 training camp and the majority of the preseason as his contract negotiations dragged on.
Eventually, he ended up signing a three-year, $17.25 million bridge deal as a restricted free agent just in time for the Ducks’ first game of the regular season. Following this, he missed six weeks with a lower-body injury. That almost makes him an honorary Canadien already, as it seems a rite of passage for anyone who wears Montreal’s colours to suffer an injury.
A Playmaker for the Canadiens
It is somewhat surprising that Zegras is seemingly available for a trade as he has recently been the face of the Ducks’ franchise, scoring two 60-point seasons before the age of 21 on a team without any depth. The 22-year-old is coming off back-to-back 23-goal campaigns and was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy, honouring the league’s top rookie, in 2022. As mentioned, Montreal needs to add some offensive skills at forward. Zegras fits that need. He also has a former teammate on the Habs’ roster in Cole Caufield who played with him in the World Junior Championship (including one gold medal) and the United States National Training and Development Program (USNTDP).
The two could be a good fit offensively as Zegras is an excellent playmaker and could be seen as a lesser version of Jack Hughes, a center with whom Caufield truly excelled in the junior leagues. There is no question that he brings an offensive element. His hockey sense in the offensive zone is elite. But this is where the buyer must beware, his off-the-puck detail, lack of physicality and defensive positioning issues are a work in progress and would be a concern for head coach Martin St. Louis and director of player development Adam Nicholas. But as their track record thus far has shown, they can be relied upon to hold him accountable for those deficiencies.
Would the pros outweigh the cons enough to allow Hughes to pay the price of adding Zegras? It depends on the cost. Judging by what it cost to land Gauthier in Anaheim, it would be reasonable to assume that it would be similar for a Zegras trade. A top prospect? A high first? Both? Hughes has those assets and more. It is possible that the cost could be one of his many high-quality left-handed defencemen. Fans might be willing to part with Arber Xhekaj, but Anaheim may ask for Lane Hutson or even Kaiden Guhle instead. The Ducks could also decide they would rather have a forward prospect like Joshua Roy, or both him and one of the defencemen. But that is likely still not enough and a first-round pick could be required in a package deal with the two prospects.
The bottom line, the asking price for Zegras will not be cheap. While his back-to-back 23-goal campaigns would make him one of Montreal’s top goal-scorers over that time frame, the trade would only happen if Hughes saw potential for much more. But more importantly, only if he believes there is potential for a 50-plus assist per season player. While Zegras’ history on the ice and friendship off the ice with Caufield is a bonus, that may not be enough to convince Hughes to pay the high cost to acquire the 22-year-old American center. While there is plenty of evidence that he could be a perfect fit offensively for Montreal, the trade cost, the defensive issues and the injury history may cause Hughes to flinch and pass on him as he supposedly had with Gauthier. This would mean Montreal’s plan to add offence would go by way of the draft in 2024.
