The Philadelphia Flyers have not been shy about their intention of bringing in more high-end talent. And if the early arrival of Matvei Michkov isn’t enough, the club may also be gunning to add another dazzling young talent to the roster.
According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Flyers are one of at least eight teams that have expressed “serious interest” in acquiring Anaheim Ducks star Trevor Zegras via trade. Per Pagnotta, the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, and Buffalo Sabres are also in the mix.
Zegras missed 51 games of the 2023-24 campaign due to a groin issue and a broken ankle, holding him to just 15 points in 31 outings. When healthy, though, he’s electric. Selected with the No. 9 overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the 23-year-old center already has a pair of 60-plus-point campaigns under his belt and is known for his offensive creativity. Famously, Zegras was the mastermind behind the viral “Dishigan” goal in 2021.
Zegras’ highlight-reel feed notably received criticism from then-ESPN pundit John Tortorella, who expressed uncertainty that the play is “good for the game.”
Tortorella, of course, is now the Flyers’ head coach.
However, Tortorella later walked back on his comments, urging Zegras to pull off the Dishigan again.
Prying Zegras from the Ducks’ cold, dead hands won’t be easy. According to Pagnotta, the Ducks are seeking a “big price” from any team interested in landing Zegras. The Flyers have a considerable amount of draft picks at their disposal, but parting with those assets would directly contradict general manager Daniel Briere’s vision of rebuilding the club for long-term future success.
Briere has not ruled out the possibility of making a good old-fashioned hockey trade, though.
“We’re gonna be looking for it, and we’re gonna have discussions with different teams. The bulk of it still needs to be done through our young guys, mostly through the draft,” said Briere during his end-of-season press conference in April.
“When teams have talented players, they don’t want to trade them away. What I’m saying is more that we’re probably not gonna throw a lot of money at a free agent to come in and take us overboard. We’re not gonna trade young players for older veterans that are gonna bring more talent. We’re still gonna respect that timeline that we’ve put in place. That hasn’t changed. But if there’s a trade that makes sense that can bring more talent and there’s a way that makes sense — maybe it’s a hockey trade — we’re definitely open for business, and we’re gonna keep exploring that.”
Zegras has two years remaining on his contract, which carries an annual cap hit of $5.75 million. He will become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent when his contract expires in 2026.
