NHL analyst Jordan Manning names $17,250,000 Ducks star as trade candidate for Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are on the rise. After three straight seasons of finishing in the bottom five of the league standings, the Habs rebuild appears to be turning the corner.

Montreal has put together an excellent two months of hockey, propelling itself into the playoff race. With a 24-21-5 record and 53 points, it sits just two points out of a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

The buzz is back at Bell Centre, as Canadiens fans are finally getting to watch meaningful games down the stretch. The team's recent success makes you wonder whether general manager Kent Hughes could be more aggressive.

Jordan Manning of "NHL Trade Talk" published an article Wednesday diving into why Anaheim Ducks star forward Trevor Zegras would be a good trade target for the Montreal Canadiens.

He sees three reasons for Zegras's fit in Montreal: He could boost their chances of making the playoffs, the Habs need a true second-line left-winger or center and his chemistry with good friend Cole Caufield.

Canadiens fans have seen firsthand the skillset Zegras possesses.

The 23-year-old is in the second season of a very affordable three-year, $17,250,000 contract. Injuries have hampered Zegras the last two years, as he's only played in 59 out of 132 games. However, he racked up 61 and 65 points at just 20 and 21 years old, respectively. The tantalizing potential and upside are still there.

Montreal Canadiens have salary cap space to make additions before the deadline

While the Montreal Canadiens aren’t expected to be major buyers at the 2025 NHL trade deadline, they still could make some moves.

General manager Kent Hughes has $6,447,500 in cap space to work with, the 10th most of any team in the league. He also has a whopping nine picks in the first four rounds of the upcoming 2025 NHL draft. Hughes could certainly dip into his plethora of picks to acquire a talented player like Trevor Zegras.

Montreal also has pending UFAs David Savard, Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia that it could trade to create even more flexibility.

The Canadiens continue their playoff push on Thursday night when they host the Minnesota Wild at Bell Centre. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST.