A few weeks after dealing for bona fide star forward Patrik Laine, the Montreal Canadiens appear to have given up on pursuing any more high-profile players at the position.
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Montreal Canadiens’ chase of Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras is done. On the September 6 episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman stated that the idea of Zegras joining the Canadiens is now “closed.”
“I think the Canadiens really wanted to add a big offensive player this year,” Friedman said. “We heard all the Zegras rumors, but I don’t think that’s anywhere right now, I’m not expecting that.”
For much of the offseason, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes had been exploring multiple avenues to bolster the team’s offense.
The Habs narrowly missed out on signing free-agent forward Jonathan Marchessault and ran out of top-tier options in free agency. With that, Montreal turned its attention to other potential targets, including Zegras and Patrik Laine via trade.
However, with the team ultimately landing Laine, acquiring Zegras was not necessary anymore, as Hughes appears to have found a more affordable option and the final piece of his offensive puzzle.
It’s worth noting, however, that Zegras is three years younger than Laine and does not carry a hefty contract, making him a more attractive target. At the end of the day, trading for Laine instead of Zegras might have come down to a matter of balancing cost and upside.
The Canadiens only had to trade Jordan Harris to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Laine and a 2nd-round pick added as a sweetener for taking on the forward’s $8.7 million salary.
