Could Flyers trade for Ducks’ Trevor Zegras next?

On Tuesday evening, both Darren Dreger (on the “Ray and Dregs Hockey Podcast”) and Frank Seravalli on DFO Live reported that Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras’ name has been out there in trade talks. The Philadelphia Flyers just traded for former Ducks defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who also happens to be best friends with Zegras. If you’re the Flyers, you have to at least be considering the possibility of adding a young top-six forward after losing Cutter Gauthier, right?

"I have my eyes on Trevor Zegras. In speaking with teams around the league, they suggest that Zegras's name has out there."

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There’s also been some debate as to whether Zegras is a left wing or a center in the NHL. The Flyers just had the same predicament with Gauthier, but head coach John Tortorella never saw the player to make a decision one way or another. If Zegras does play center, he’s at least average in the faceoff dot. The 22-year-old won 39.9% of his draws in 2021-22 and 41.4% in 2022-23. Zegras scored at least 20 goals and 60 points in both seasons.

For those who may be concerned about Zegras’ potential fit in the Flyers locker room, the former No. 9 overall pick has already played with Drysdale and Nicolas Deslauriers, and is also plugged in with close friend Cam York. By extension, this will include other Drysdale friends, such as Scott Laughton and Morgan Frost. For Zegras, there is very little barrier to entry for this tight-knit group of players in the Flyers locker room.

As for a potential trade cost, Seravalli’s belief is that Zegras does not fit GM Pat Verbeek’s vision and desired style of play, and that the Ducks’ loss could be someone else’s gain. In this case, that’s the Flyers, who have seven draft picks between the first two rounds of each of the next two drafts. If the Ducks ask for roster players or prospects back, they’ll have a lot less freedom to pick and choose.

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