It’s because of Ivan Demidov that Trevor Zegras is not in Montreal

Several months ago, Marco Normandin (Habsolument Fan) spoke about the Trevor Zegras case and the Canadiens.

In short, he learned that Logan Mailloux and a first-round pick (the one that ultimately allowed the Canadiens to get their hands on Michael Hage) were on the table to get Trevor Zegras – and a second-round pick.

It was ultimately Kent Hughes who refused to go ahead with the transaction.

What’s interesting is that in the latest episode of Tellement Hockey, Radio-Canada’s podcast, Alexandre Gascon confirmed the information about this.

But most importantly, we now know why Trevor Zegras is not a member of the Canadiens.

In short, the selection of Ivan Demidov, a very talented player, at #5 in the draft meant that the Canadiens no longer felt the need to get their hands on Zegras’ services at that price.

You can go to the 43rd minute of the podcast to listen to him talk about it.

What all this tells me is that the Canadiens were indeed afraid of missing out on a guy like Ivan Demidov, who could have easily been picked in the top 4, before the Canadiens’ first pick.

The GM clearly wanted to add talent to his organization, and he was able to do so without trading Mailloux and (indirectly) Hage.

Note that Zegras would have played for the Canadiens in 2024-2025, unlike Demidov. So, I wonder, in terms of talent, if Patrik Laine would have taken the path to Montreal if Zegras had been acquired by the team.

But that’s a different story.

Extension

Still in the segment, the Radio-Canada journalist reports that the Canadiens are no longer attached to the idea of getting their hands on the Ducks player. Is it because of the price to pay? The team’s needs? The player’s performance? His attitude?

Is it a mix of all that?