Trevor Zegras has a new contract, and it only makes the Montreal Canadiens’ recent business look cleaner.
Zegras agreed to a four-year deal with the Flyers in the last few hours, and according to Elliotte Friedman, the forward will make $9.125 million per season. That pushes the total value of the contract to $36.5 million.
On its face, that’s a hefty number. But in the context of what the Canadiens have lined up, it stands out even more.
Ivan Demidov will earn $9.15 million, nearly the same annual figure, but over eight years. The gap in term is doing a lot of work there.
Demidov is only 20 years old, put up 62 points in his rookie season, and is widely viewed as a better player than someone like Trevor Zegras.
Lane Hutson is in the same conversation too. He finished last season with 78 points, and he’ll also make less money than Zegras over the next eight seasons.
That’s why this latest contract keeps reflecting well on Kent Hughes and the Canadiens. While other teams are handing out bigger short-term money, Montreal has stayed locked into its own plan.
As for Zegras, the numbers are the numbers: 25 years old, 67 points last season, 32 points in 57 games the year before, and 15 points in 31 games the season prior.
So the question hangs there pretty plainly: is he worth as much as a young player like Ivan Demidov or Lane Hutson, even on a shorter deal?
The answer seems obvious.
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For the Canadiens, that continuity matters. They are not walking into a brand-new situation so much as a familiar one against a rival still sorting out its identity, and that gives Montreal a chance to lean on stability right away. The Leafs have added fresh faces and new voices, but there is still one major question hanging over their side of the matchup, and it could shape how much of an edge Montreal really has when the season opens. [Read more 🡒]