Canadiens: Three Off-Season Acquisition Rumours Linked to Club
It has been a quiet off-season thus far for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens. After trading Jonathan Kovacevic to the Devils, the acquisition of Alex Barré-Boulet and the extension of Juraj Slafkovský, the Habs have not made any notable moves.
That being said, there have been numerous rumours circulating online about potential targets who could land in Montreal in due time. Here are three to consider:
Max Pacioretty
Talk of former Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty returning to La Belle Province has appeared online as of late.
Montreal has spoken about the desire to acquire a proven veteran scorer. The important trait in the eyes of the club’s front office is that said scorer is temporarily with the club to not interfere with the development of the young core.
Pacioretty fits that description. Well, sort of. At age 35, Pacioretty has dealt with a few injuries over the years, taking a toll on his body. He is not as fast as he once was, and his shooting percentage was one of the worst of his career last season at 4.2 per cent. Additionally, he has not played in over 50 games since the 2019-20 season.
Still, if Pacioretty can stay healthy and increase his shooting percentage closer to his career average of 11.1 per cent, there is a case to be made that his return could benefit Montreal.
Trevor Zegras
This is not a new rumour. It feels as though Habs fans have hoped for some time that Trevor Zegras unite with Team USA best friend Cole Caufield. Zegras has amassed 55 goals and 154 points over 211 NHL games. He is a dynamic two-way forward capable of playing both centre and on the wing.
Zegras displayed a great deal of maturity last season. While sustaining a broken ankle and lower-body issue, and dealing with swirling trade rumours, Zegras remained committed to the Ducks organization, while absorbing any information he could on how to properly recover.
It would cost the Canadiens more than just a few draft picks to land Zegras, and it would need to be a move that opens up cap space for his $5.75 million annual average salary. On top of this, Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek has refused to comment on the likelihood of a trade involving the 23-year-old in the past, and as Pierre Lebrun told TSN’s Jay Onrait back in February, “The Ducks have listened on Trevor Zegras. My understanding is they haven’t phoned a single team and brought up his name.”
Martin Nečas
Martin Nečas has been involved in trade rumours frequently. Not just from teams who have expressed interest, but rumours that Nečas himself wants out of Raleigh.
Nečas filed for arbitration this off-season and has dealt with trade rumours for a chunk of the calendar year. He wants a larger role on the Hurricanes team. His ice time was reported to be an issue, as he played in an average 17 minutes and 21 seconds last year.
Nečas played in 77 games for the Hurricanes last season, tallying 24 goals and 53 points. At 25 years of age, he fits into the competitive development window that the Habs are looking to build on. Much like Zegras, he is skilled enough to play both centre and wing, with plenty of speed to complement his offensive acumen.
The problem is that the Canadiens are not the only team involved in the rumour, with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets emerging as the top contending destinations for the Czech-born forward to bring his talents.