“Montreal Was Working On A Deal For Zegras”
Photo: AP
By Michael Walters
Trevor Zegras has been the subject of trade rumors it seems since the beginning of his time with the Anaheim Ducks. Even though he has been injured the past two seasons the rumors keep coming.
On Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts article he mentioned some aborted trades at the draft. One of those included Montreal and Anaheim, which would have sent Zegras to Montreal. He thinks part of the reason the trade didn’t go through is when Montreal realized Ivan Demidov would be available as the fifth overall pick.
Friedman discussed the situation in more detail(starts at the 9:42 mark) on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast today. “Montreal was working on a deal for Zegras. They were trading for him and they were offering one player, I believe a young defenseman, and they were offering a first-round pick and it wasn’t the number five pick. It was the pick that eventually drafted Michael Hage(21st overall pick). That pick was in the deal to Anaheim. Where I think that changed was when Anaheim took (Beckett) Sennecke, Montreal realized Demidov was getting to them.”
“I talked about this with Eric Engels on Tuesday and one of the things that Engels talks about covering the Canadiens all the time is that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, they’re very careful about redundancy. They don’t like redundancy. And I think they felt if they were going to draft Demidov, then that was going to lead to redundancy if they traded for Zegras.”
Friedman further explained, “In that moment they said, you know what, if you look at them they already have (Nick) Suzuki, he is going to be there for a billion years. They already have (Cole) Caufield he is going to be there for a billion years. They already have (Juraj) Slafkovksy, he is going to be there for a billion years. They are hoping that Demidov is going to be there for a billion years. And then if you add Zegras, if you are trading that much for him, you’re hoping he is going to be there for a billion years. They are both left hand shots and eventually you are going to have to extend Zegras at a pretty big ticket. So when Eric said that to me, when I said this is what I think happened, he said this is why I think it happened. And it also makes me wonder if Demidov had been taken, I wonder if Sennecke was Montreal’s pick. So all of that is where I think it ends up.”
One defenseman rumored through various Montreal media outlets that would have been part of the deal was Logan Mailloux. Marco Normandin first reported back in August the Ducks had a deal in place with the Canadiens for a trade involving Mailloux and their 2024 21st overall pick in exchange for Trevor Zegras and a second-round draft pick. There were also other reports of a similar deal in place for Zegras, but without a second-round pick as part of the return to Montreal.
Analysis:
Will the Zegras trade rumors ever stop? Probably not, just like the Sun coming up in the morning, the rumors will keep coming up as well.
The real question is should the Anaheim Ducks trade Trevor Zegras? Head Coach Greg Cronin wanted him to work on his two-way game and be more responsible defensively. Many, including Cronin and General Manager Pat Verbeek, have felt that Zegras has listened, put in the work, and improved his overall game. Cronin recently said, “I think it’s all coming together(For Zegras).”
In early March, Verbeek was asked about his thoughts on Zegras’ development at the Ducks Migration event and he said, “Trevor has taken huge steps for me. Not only at a competitive standpoint, a work ethic standpoint, but he has added details to his game. If someone would have told me that I would have been talking to the NHL over Trevor Zegras getting suspended three games and then about a week an half later Trevor getting in a fight, I would have said you are nuts. But anywhere here we are. Trevor is a competitive guy and obviously he is very gifted skill wise, he sees the ice well, he is very intelligent player. Those skills are highly needed on ice, but it’s the other things, the competitive part, being responsible defensively, all those sorts of things which Trevor has never been asked to do prior to getting to the NHL. So it’s a process to learn those habits and take pride in those habits. Trevor is kind of going through that and he is making huge strides there.”
It seems last summer at the draft a trade for Zegras could have been a real possibility based on Friedman’s comments and some other reports. But after listening to Verbeek’s comments at the Ducks Migration event and other interviews from him and Cronin, it seems less of a possibility now. If Zegras continues to play the way he has this season, trading him isn’t probably a good idea unless the Ducks can get a King’s ransom as the return.
Zegras has one more year left on his contract with Anaheim at $5.75 mil. He will be an RFA at the end of next season. Verbeek is known for being a difficult negotiator with contracts and he is in the driver seat since Zegras is a RFA. It would seem more likely than not, Zegras will remain in Anaheim for now. But then again many people thought Wayne Gretzky would never be traded from Edmonton and we all know how that ended.
Listen to our show by clicking below or visiting us at Podomatic, Rumble, Spreaker, or YouTube.
Support us by becoming a DucksNPucks patron! Members can win game tickets, Ducks gear, and more!
Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!
DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!
April 11th, 2025
PICK A TEAM
chigago blackhawks
Chi-Town Hawks
anaheim ducks
Ducks N Pucks
boston bruins
Bruin Strong
carolina hurricanes
Carolina Caniacs
colorado avalanche
Denver Avs
arizona coyotes
Coyotes Howl
Buffalo sabres
Sabres Den
columbus blue jackets
Blue Jacket Army
dallas stars
Shootout Stars
calgary flames
Fierce Flames
detroit red wings
Red Wings Town
new york islanders
Long island Pucks
minnesota wild
Rink Wild
edmonton oilers
Ice Oilers
florida panthers
Roaring Panthers
new york rangers
Fighting Rangers
nashville predators
Preds N Pucks
los angeles kings
LA Royalty
montreal canadiens
Hockey Habs
new jersey devils
Puck Devils
st.louis blues
Break Away Blues
san jose sharks
Bay Sharks
ottawa senators
Slap Shot Sens
philadelphia flyers
Furious Flyers
winnipeg jets
High Flying Jets
vancouver canucks
Canucks N Pucks
tampa bay lightning
Bay Bolts
pittsburgh
Pens N Pucks
toronto maple Leafs
Just Leafs
washington capitals
Capital Pucks