Potential Summer Trade Candidates For Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens will be looking to add a scoring forward to their ranks this summer, and there are a few options that could fit the bill.

With the season coming to a close and the NHL Draft Lottery odds becoming clearer, the Canadiens are going to look to build on this season and push for the NHL playoffs next spring.

For NHL betting odds to project a rise in the standings for the Montreal Canadiens, something must be done to improve their forward corps for next season; and the natural improvement of their youth is simply not enough.

Yes, the progress of youngsters like Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Joshua Roy and Alex Newhook has been notable, but the lack of goal-scoring at forward is simply too strong to overlook.

With an overabundance of young defencemen, some cap space and a haul of draft picks over the next two drafts, the Montreal Canadiens have the opportunity to add a significant piece to their rebuild.

Let’s look over some options:

Trevor Zegras

This is likely not a shock to anyone, but Trevor Zegras could be moved this summer by the Anaheim Ducks, as the 23-year-old has simply not lived up to standards under new head coach Greg Cronin.

After a very heated contract negotiation that forced Zegras to miss training camp, along with some untimely injuries, it has been a season to forget for the young forward; and a change of scenery is likely in order.

With Slafkovsky and Suzuki finding significant chemistry this past season, having Cole Caufield run shotgun on a second line alongside his good friend Zegras and a returning Kirby Dach could finally give the Canadiens the basis for two strong scoring lines for years to come.

There may be those who worry about Zegras’ commitment to the defensive end and supposed attitude issues, but, after some digging, all those in the know shot down most of these concerns; referring to them as “fabricated” or “exaggerated”.

With two 65-point seasons already under his belt, there’s reason to believe that Zegras would easily be able to bounce back in a high-tempo, offensive environment like that which Montreal is trying to build up.

One has to think that, with the season he’s having, the price point won’t be as astronomical as originally thought. The Canadiens have been confirmed to be keeping tabs on the player, but Ducks GM, Pat Verbeek, has refused to entertain a trade.

With the way this season has played out, Zegras will very likely be in play.

Martin Necas

The Carolina Hurricanes are seemingly at a crossroads when it comes to their roster, and a talented forward may be sacrificed to maintain cap flexibility and keep key roster players in the fold.

As it stands, the Hurricanes have eight pending free agents and three pending restricted free agents; with only a projected $30M left to sign them all.

Among that group is newly acquired winger Jake Guentzel, breakout youngster Seth Jarvis, veteran Teuvo Teräväinen and key defencemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce.

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To keep all of these players onboard and maintain the Hurricanes’ competitive window, Necas, who is a restricted free agent himself and looking for a handsome raise, may need to be dangled.

The 25-year-old, who broke out last season with a 71-point campaign, is on pace for another productive season this year with 23 goals and 52 points in 70 games. A speedy winger, who stands at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Necas would be able to inject the rare combination of adequate size, skill and speed that the Canadiens have coveted since GM Kent Hughes and EVP Jeff Gorton took over the reins.

With Carolina not having a veteran defenceman signed beyond the end of the 2024-2025 season, and only Alexander Nikishin and Scott Morrow as legitimate defensive prospects with NHL potential, the Canadiens could make for an intriguing trade partner.

Kent Johnson

The least proven on the list, but perhaps the player with the most amount of pure potential, Kent Johnson could be an interesting player to look at with new management coming in for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Having a plethora of young talent coming in and another top-5 pick likely in the cards for Columbus, Johnson could be an interesting trade chip for the club to gain more assets to improve at other positions or advance their rebuild properly.

With Columbus owning just one pick in the first two rounds, the Canadiens could make for intriguing trade partners; as they have a wealth of picks and prospects that could be used as trade bait, along with some NHL-ready defencemen who could instantly jump into Columbus’ lineup.

An argument could be made that Patrick Laine could be a better trade option here, considering his poor season; but the $8.7M cap hit and the baggage that has followed him may be too much of a red flag for the Canadiens to consider it; making Johnson a much more palatable option.

The talented forward finds himself in an almost identical situation to that of Kirby Dach with the Chicago Blackhawks; showing promise in his rookie season, only to be mired by a lack of opportunity and injuries that seemingly killed his momentum.

After just coming off of successful shoulder surgery and already having a 40-point campaign under his belt, Johnson could be a sneaky good add for a Montreal Canadiens roster that has had success in their recent reclamation projects.

Johnson may be the least proven of the bunch, but he could be the biggest value acquisition between the three above.

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