Flyers trading for Trevor Zegras epitomizes next step of rebuild

The Philadelphia Flyers got the offseason started with a bang this week. In what is a near-annual tradition, Danny Briere nodded to the ghosts of June 23 past by trading for Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks.

In return, all Briere had to give up was Ryan Poehling, the 45th pick in this year\'s draft, and a fourth-round pick in 2026. But this move would\'ve been worth making even if the cost was a tad bit higher because that is where the Flyers are right now.

Danny Briere and Keith Jones have torn it down, got some help from John Tortorella to build a culture, and are in a transition period with a lot of flexibility. They still have six picks in the top 48 (five in the top 40), $15.8 million in cap space, and a new coach to boot.

We\'ve established that the Flyers are betting on what they have built in trading for Zegras , but they are betting on the centerman as well. And that is exactly the type of gamble that they should be making.

Zegras is a 24-year-old forward who should have his best years ahead of him, but it was clear that it wouldn\'t work in Anaheim. He slipped down the depth chart, eventually over to the wing, and now gets a fresh start in Philadelphia with a team that has prioritized its culture in recent years.

Even if we put the whole culture aspect aside, the Flyers are in the early-to-mid stages of a rebuild that may be closer to contention than many think. That\'s not to say that they\'ll be true contenders or even a perennial playoff team quite yet, but this past season should be the bottom. They\'re now bouncing back on the way up and could see results similar to the year prior, in which they played a full 82-game season of meaningful hockey.

Matvei Michkov\'s early arrival has opened up the door a bit more for this rebuild to speed up, and Zegras might help the Flyers swing that door wide open.

Injuries have hampered Zegras immensely in recent years, limiting him to just 47 points in 88 games over the last two seasons. However, he\'s already shown that he can put up consecutive 60-point seasons -- in the first years of his 20s on a bad Anaheim team, no less.

It may take Zegras a bit of time to get back up to that speed, but we saw a bit of that toward the end of last season. He may have only had 32 points in 57 games, but the majority of those came in the latter portions of the season after he returned from a knee injury. He had 17 points in 25 games after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, including a stretch of 14 points in 16 games from March 9 to April 9.

Yes, some of that time was on the wing and it came at the end of the season when some teams are already packing it in. We saw Morgan Frost put up a great second half in a meaningless season. But Zegras isn\'t Frost, and even comparing the two seems insulting to the newest Flyer\'s potential. There are also plenty of more positive signs for the former Duck.

Even if Zegras is more of a guy who caps out at 40 or 50 points and doesn\'t reach that 60-plus point level again, the Flyers are in position to take the chance on that.

Zegras is entering the final year of his contract with a $5.75 million cap hit and will then become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. The Flyers could simply cut bait then if they\'re that upset with the addition, and if he needs another year of seasoning before reaching his ceiling, the Flyers may benefit financially during those RFA years. The connection to Jamie Drysdale and Cam York can\'t hurt either.

And if Zegras does suddenly become a 60-point player again? The Flyers have a young center who fits their timeline and can be a big part of the future.

A player like Zegras simply doesn\'t become available very often. While that may seem extreme on the surface, it\'s rare for former top-10 picks in their mid-20s to change teams without a similar return, let alone hit the open market. Instead, you get teams like the Red Wings, who tried to take the next steps in their rebuild by signing Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher to $5+ million contracts that will end in their young 30s.

There is one player who comes to mind that could be a good comparison of what a Zegras reconciliation project may look like: Dylan Strome.

Strome was drafted third overall in 2015 and had a few cups of coffee with the Coyotes before being shipped to Chicago in the middle of his age-21 season. He put up 51 points (17 goals, 34 assists) in 58 games with the Blackhawks -- primarily playing with skilled wingers Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane -- after just six points in 20 games playing with revolving scrubs on the Coyotes that year.

Chicago wasn\'t exactly the best place for Strome to find his game, but the change of scenery helped a bit with 103 points in 167 games over the course of his three full (shortened) seasons there. The Blackhawks didn\'t extend him a qualifying offer despite putting up 48 points in 69 games, and the Washington Capitals took a chance on him. It turned out to be just what the doctor ordered for Strome, who had 65, 67, and 82 points in his last three seasons with a Russian winger by his side.

We\'ll see who Rick Tocchet decides to play Zegras with , but it\'s safe to assume that he\'ll get some time with the likes of Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster, and Owen Tippett. And quite frankly, the idea of Zegras between any combination of those two is exciting to think about.

Trading for Zegras is the perfect example of the low-risk, high-reward move that Briere and the Flyers should be looking to make right now. They have the cap space, they have the assets to move, and they have a few holes at important parts of the roster.

In fact, I wouldn\'t be too surprised if they look to make a similar move between the pipes or on the blue line. Adding a player with a year or two left on their contract who a team is looking to move for either a change of scenery or a cap dump limits the risk on the Flyers\' part, and the team\'s ceiling can only get so high at this juncture.

Talking Points