NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Colorado Avalanche

Is Trevor Zegras a good fit in Montreal? The Maple Leafs need a number one defenseman. Colorado wants to upgrade their center position.

Dec 15, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) plays the puck against Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson (44) during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Is Trevor Zegras a Good Fit in Montreal?

Marc Dumont of Montreal Hockey Nckey Now: Dumont writes about the pros and cons of the Canadiens trading for Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks.

NHL Rumors: The Montreal Canadiens are in No Rush To Make Any Moves

Dumont cites Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff regarding Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek potentially moving Zegras. Again, nobody knows how far those talks went, but his name was mentioned.

Adding Zegras to a group of young forwards such as Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach, and Nick Suzuki gives the head coach a perfect player for the long term in Montreal. This allows him to have a balanced lineup. Plus, having former USNTDP teammates gives them unique looks throughout the lineup. Not to mention, Zegras can score, something Montreal desperately needs.

The issue will be the cost of acquiring the player. What will Montreal have to give up to acquire his services? Not to mention, Zegras will need a new contract in 2026, and we saw how those negotiations went. So, it is a high-risk, high-reward situation for Montreal.

Maple Leafs Need A Number One Defenseman

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff: Seravalli writes in his Eastern Conference objective piece that besides goaltending, the Maple Leafs need to upgrade their defense.

There is no actual number-one defenseman on this team, and they need that to compete in the playoffs. Simon Benoit and William Lagesson have played well in their roles, but the Maple Leafs need a physical presence on the backend.

General manager Brad Treliving tried to get Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev from Calgary. However, he could not make it work. Does he try again on Tanev and potentially move even more money out as well?

Colorado Wants To Upgrade Their Center Position

Frank Servalli of Daily Faceoff: Seravalli writes in his Western Conference objectives how the Ryan Johansen experiment has not worked out as their second line center.

NHL Rumors: Colorado Still Looking To Address Second Line Center

The Avalanche continue to be without Gabriel Landeskog. That could linger into next season. They have been looking to address that position for over a year now. They will look to see who they can out on the market.

Also, the Avalanche want to upgrade their goaltending, adding a 1B to lighten Alexandar Georgiev‘s workload.

 

Exit mobile version