Apr 3, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia Flyers have been interested in acquiring Trevor Zegras for about 18 months.
But all along the way, General Manager Danny Briere had felt that the Anaheim Ducks asking price for Zegras was far too high.
After all, Briere was well aware of what was coming out of Anaheim about Zegras. Sure, he's a player with top-end skill and good hockey sense, but for all the good about Zegras, there was a lot of frustration with the player.
He drove the Ducks crazy for the past few seasons. They felt his game was eroding in the middle of the ice and they shifted him to wing. There've been reports of laziness and loser energy and his skating is not the greatest.
Couple that with his inability to stay healthy the past two seasons, and, well, a lot of bloom has fallen off that rose.
Zegras, still just 24, may not be the high-end player he was when he burst on the scene as a rookie in 2021-22 posting 61 points in 75 games, and it's likely why the Ducks have been willing to off load him for awhile.
But then again, maybe he is still that guy and just needed a change of scenery.
The Flyers are willing to take that gamble - especially for such an affordable price.
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The Flyers traded fourth line center Ryan Poehling, a second round pick in this weekend's NHL draft (No. 45 overall) and a fourth round pick in 2026 for Zegras on Monday.
"(The dropoff in production) was why he was available in the first place," Briere said. "Top six talents are very, very rarely available around the NHL. We felt that was a risk worth taking for us."
It's a worthy gamble. Either Zegras hits, becomes the player he was a few years ago, and you got him for a song, or he continues to be a frustrating player and you move on from him - and it didn't cost too much to take the chance.
Zegras will count $5.75 million against the salary cap in the 2025-26 season, and then the Flyers will have to sign him after that if they want him to be a part of the future. But if he comes in and gives Rick Tocchet and his coaching staff the same headache he gave the Ducks' coaches, the Flyers can simply move on and at very little cost.
This is what makes a change-of-scenery candidate a worthwhile risk - as long as you don't overpay for him.
Briere first checked in on Zegras leading up tot he 2024 trade deadline. At the time, Ducks G.M. Pat Verbeek wanted a king's ransom. Verbeek wanted a first round pick, and Briere was adamantly opposed to giving up a first, which he deems far more valuable.
The two stayed in touch but the price didn't come down much. At least not until Zegras continued to have similar problems in 2024-25.
Briere checked back in with Verbeek in February before he traded Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to Calgary.
The Ducks were interested in Joel Farabee, but ultimately decided not to do a deal centered around a Farabee for Zegras swap (there would have been other components).
But it was clear five months ago, that the price was coming down.
As the draft was approaching, Anaheim felt that they needed to get something for the player, and finally had conversations with three interested teams - Montreal, Seattle and the Flyers.
"You don't really decide when a trade happens until you both agree it's the time," Briere said. " We've had discussions on Trevor in the past. There's times where it wasn't feasible on our end, most of the time it was Anaheim not willing to let go of him. We just got to a point where the timing was right for both teams."
Briere was willing to give up two draft pick assets, albeit not a first rounder, and a useful bottom six forward in Poehling, which gave the Ducks the best return of the teams they were negotiating with.
Zegras had his most productive years at center, but part of what went south for him in Anaheim was the fact that his game in the middle of the ice was lacking.
So, the Ducks moved him to wing. He wanted a chance to get back to center, but the Ducks never afforded him that opportunity.
The Flyers will likely give him a look in that role, but there are no long-term guarantees.
"We hope he can help in the center position because that's obviously an area we can improve," Briere said. "But at the same time if Rick decides he's better suited on the wing and there's other guys that play better in the middle, he's going to decide."
