Trevor Zegras has been the talk of Montreal for some time now. The forward’s relationship with the Ducks seems to be rather fragile, and there’s a growing feeling that the Californian outfit may try to offload him to another team in the coming months.

Frank Seravalli believes that Zegras is available for a trade, in any case, and considering the difficult contract negotiations between Zegras and the Ducks last summer, this adds gas to the rumour mill.

Getting ready for today’s Morning Cuppa Hockey, just @frank_seravalli and I today:

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– Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) January 30, 2024

Obviously, we’re still a long way from an eventual transaction that would see Zegras pass into the hands of the Habs, but we sense that it’s not a scenario that’s completely far-fetched either…

And when you realize that the talk is moving in that direction even far from Montreal, you notice that it’s still pretty smoky.

In yesterday’s piece for The Athletic, Eric Duhatschek talked a bit about Zegras, and his conclusion was clear: the Habs and Ducks “look like two potential partners” for a deal involving Zegras.

Duhatschek points to the fact that the Habs are already banking on a lot of 2019 draft picks (Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Zegras’ good friend Cole Caufield) and that the Tricolore has assets to trade in a potential deal to bring Zegras to town.

For a team looking for offensive punch, Zegras would be a hell of a catch in that regard, anyway.

In his paper, Duhatschek states that he seriously doubts that the Jets’ mere first-round pick (acquired in the Sean Monahan trade) would be enough to allow the Habs to go after Zegras, but on the other hand, he assumes that the Habs wouldn’t dare give Juraj Slafkovský in return.

And I tend to agree with both premises.

On the other hand, Duhatschek’s other idea is interesting: if the Habs were to offer their first-round pick (with protection so as not to lose Macklin Celebrini should they win the lottery) and add another pick or a young player, it could start to be an interesting package for both teams.

It could possibly be a way for the Habs to trade one of their countless defensemen, although I imagine Kaiden Guhle wouldn’t be one of the options (and rightly so).

“I would never, ever trade Guhle for Zegras” – Max

La Taverne Hockey is available here as well as on all listening platforms! https://t.co/rKAJAGAuMw pic.twitter.com/pCrBTvA4mF

– La Poche Bleue (@lapochebleue) February 9, 2024

Clearly, then, it’s not just in Montreal that the Habs are seen as an attractive destination for Zegras, who would inject a huge dose of offensive talent into a group of forwards sorely lacking in Montreal.

Zegras and Caufield already have a natural chemistry, so they could make a real splash together in Montreal. And with Slafkovský, Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach, it would make for a very, very interesting top-6.

We’ll have to wait and see, but if the Habs don’t think they’ll be able to find a forward of Zegras’ calibre with their first-round pick, trading him to the Ducks to get their hands on Zegras makes sense.

And with Martin Lapointe acknowledging that there aren’t a ton of elite-caliber prospects in the upcoming draft, maybe it’s not all that crazy.

In gusts

– Strange.

– Indeed.

– Ouch.

– It’s still the talk of the town.

– The last few hours have been kind to the Lakers.