While the bromance between Montreal Canadiens forwards Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield is alive and well, another one behind enemy lines has got Habs fans revved up.
Caufield represented Team USA at the recently wrapped up IIHF World Championships. During his tournament tenure, the forward took the opportunity to catch up with longtime pal Trevor Zegras, who is rumoured to be on the Anaheim Ducks’ trade block.
The Canadiens winger and Ducks centre seemingly spent every moment together, on and off the ice, for the duration of the tournament.
From train rides to wine tastings to leisurely strolls around Prague, the pair of young NHL forwards were attached at the hip, sharing plenty of candid moments on their respective Instagram stories.
@trevorzegras/Instagram
@colecaufield/Instagram
The duo even bunked on train rides together and found time to hit up a golf course.
@colecaufield/Instagram
@colecaufield/Instagram
So, why does any of this matter?
Zegras happens to be at the top of Canadiens fans’ collective trade radar. And the talk isn’t completely baseless, either.
Back in February, TSN insider Pierre Lebrun reported that a handful of teams have made calls to inquire about the price of the 23-year-old, naming the Habs among the interested parties.
“Of the four [to] five teams that I’m told have phoned the Ducks, the Montreal Canadiens are one of them, so that is true,” Lebrun said.
After the season wrapped, Zegras admitted to hearing the rumours.
“You see it,” Zegras said in an interview with Eric Stephens of The Athletic. “It’s hard not to see. Definitely sucks. I think you can always control what you can control. When there are certain teams that there are rumours to, obviously, it goes in a different direction, so to speak.”
Selected ninth overall by Anaheim in the 2019 draft, the 6-foot, 185-pound forward has netted 55 goals and 154 points over 211 NHL games.
While there was certainly more to go on during the Canadiens’ pursuit of Pierre-Luc Dubois last summer (we all remember how that saga ended), it will be interesting to see if and where Zegras is moved before next season rolls around.
In the meantime, the Habs still have one dynamic duo to enjoy.
Follow Channels and Categories