While it was reported that the Montreal Canadiens had interest in Trevor Zegras some time ago, including at last year’s draft, GM Kent Hughes had since moved on from the former Anaheim Ducks player. The former ninth overall pick at the 2019 draft was once a promising prospect who oozed talent, but injuries have plagued his last two seasons, and he didn’t progress as expected, posting 15 points in 31 games in 2023-24 and 32 points in 57 games this past season.
When the Canadiens were interested in Zegras, they were drawn to his pure offensive skills and talent. However, after selecting Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage at the 2024 draft, their interest shifted elsewhere. It’s not that a team can have too much offensive talent, but you build a contender by carefully putting together an ensemble cast with complementary skills. The best example is probably the current champions, the Florida Panthers, who have found that balance. In contrast, the runner-up, the Edmonton Oilers, are still struggling to surround the best player in the world with the right pieces to take that last step.
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Speaking to the media after the trade, Ducks GM Pat Verbeek indicated that Zegras wanted to play center. Still, they saw him more as a winger, and they already had their top two centers in Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish. This made Zegras surplus to requirements, and while the return obtained may seem underwhelming, it simply reflects how much his value had declined.
To land Zegras, the Philadelphia Flyers only had to give former Canadiens player Ryan Poehling, the 45th pick at Friday’s draft, and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick. The pivot who was drafted 25th overall by the Canadiens at the 2017 draft and has since become a good depth center after being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Jeff Petry trade that landed the Canadiens Mike Matheson. He then signed with the Flyers as a free agent and posted 28 points in 77 games during the 2023-24 season and 31 points in 68 games this past season. His last two years have been more productive than Zegras's, and his style of play is more fitting for the Ducks’ needs at center.
For those who are lamenting the fact that it wouldn’t have been costly for the Canadiens to roll the dice on Zegras, you can be glad that Montreal is not in that stage anymore. At this stage of their rebuild, the Habs have more precise needs, they’re no longer seeing what raw assets they can acquire and foster as part of their foundation. They now know that they need and a player like Zegras just isn’t it.
At 6-foot and 185 pounds, he wouldn’t help address the Canadiens’ need for a big forward who can provide some physicality. If the playoffs taught us one thing, it’s that the Canadiens need more size and players who can handle the physical toll of the postseason. Players who can go to the dirty areas and establish a physical presence. Cole Caufield might have become less of a perimeter player, but he is still just 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, try as he may, he remains easy to move off the puck in heavy traffic, he doesn’t have the big frame to protect the puck in those areas.
There’s no guarantee the Canadiens will be able to address that need through a trade or on the free agency market this Summer, but Hughes will try and to do that, he needs to target the right players. Forget about Mason McTavish, Verbeek’s chat with the media made it clear yesterday that he’s not going anywhere.
The top six players, especially centers, are tough to acquire when you don’t draft them. Hughes did try when he traded for Kirby Dach, believing in his potential, and so far, the 6-foot-4 and 221-pound pivot hasn’t lived up to it. At his end-of-season press conference, the Canadiens’ GM stopped short of saying that this upcoming season would be the big center’s last chance, but he did say it would be a crucial season for him.
Insane goal from 2019 Draft eligible Kirby Dach. No idea why people have him dropping... top 5 talent pic.twitter.com/XgCty1hAqm
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) April 8, 2019
If Dach was to show up to camp in fine form and find the form he was showing before suffering a knee injury in the second game of the 2022-23 season, he could a fantastic internal answer to the Canadiens’ need. He would however need to find a way to remain healthy, which has proven tricky for him since the start of his career. He has never played a full 82-game season, the most he has played in one campaign is 70 games and that was back in 2021-22.
In other words, Dach could be the solution, but there are a lot of ifs and buts there. When the puck drops on the new season, he will be entering the final year of the four-year contract he signed shortly after being traded to Montreal. That deal has a $3,362,500 AAV and once it’s up, he will be a RFA. So far, he’s not done anything to show he would deserve a significant raise or a long-term contract as a part of the Canadiens’ young core. The 24-year-old needs a big year and the Canadiens also need a big year from him.
Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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