With an abundance of young, high-upside centers in the organization, could the Anaheim Ducks be looking to trade the flashy Trevor Zegras?
It is odd to think that it could be in the cards, as just two years ago Zegras burst onto the scene in his first full season with 61 points in 75 games before following it up with 65 points in 81 games last year.
During that time, he flipped pucks over the net for teammates to bat in goals, he scored goals with his stick between his legs, and he generally displayed an advanced ability to process defenses and utilize creative stickhandling maneuvers to generate opportunities.
He became one of the young faces of the league, and young fans loved his exuberance and penchant for entertaining. For a while, it seemed as though Zegras would help lead Anaheim out of its rebuild, becoming the face of the franchise and one of the league's top stars.
But injuries and struggles this season have lowered Zegras' stock, and the additions since last off-season of Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim's group of young forwards could leave the New York native as the odd man out.
There has been speculation that general manager Pat Verbeek might prefer moving Zegras for other young assets or draft capital, with the possibility that he does not see Zegras' play style as the ideal fit for his vision for the team.
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NHL Trade Deadline: Trevor Zegras
Contract Situation: 3 years at $5.75 million cap hit; RFA upon expiry
Potential Destinations: Montreal, Philadelphia, Detroit
If Anaheim is actually making Zegras available, pretty much every team in the league should try to get involved. While it's fair to wonder if his defensive downsides make him not a fit on a team building around bigger two-way forwards, players of this skill level do not become available often.
There are plenty of examples of teams with a good defensive infrastructure already in place bringing in an offense-dominant forward, sheltering his minutes and reaping the rewards of such a skill set.
His contract, too, makes him a huge bargain for the production he's put up until this season. He's still got two full seasons left at this price point after this one, and any team acquiring him still has control over his rights when the deal expires.
The Ducks would be wise to hang on to him, not sell at the lowest point of his value, and keep a diversity of skill sets in their forward ranks as these players mature.
But if they do move him, Montreal makes a ton of sense as a landing spot. The Canadiens could use another forward to pair with their young group consisting of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky. The idea of a Slafkovsky-Zegras-Caufield line is very tantalizing, with the overbearing Slafkovsky creating space for Zegras' passing acumen and Caufield's lethal shot.
Philadelphia just acquired his former teammate and longtime friend Jamie Drysdale in the deal that sent Gauthier to Anaheim. Could the Ducks and Flyers link up on a trade again? It would be a good fit for a Flyers forward unit fairly devoid of playmaking ability.
Likewise, Detroit is another up-and-coming young group that could be a good fit. Zegras could slot in behind entrenched first-line center Dylan Larkin and team up with one of Detroit's young goalscorers.
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