The Philadelphia Flyers struck a trade over the summer with the Anaheim Ducks. Philadelphia sent Ryan Poehling and a second-round pick to Anaheim in exchange for forward Trevor Zegras. Once a potential cornerstone of the Ducks, Zegras parted ways with Anaheim after having his last two seasons marred by underperformance and injury.
Zegras was once one of the more exciting young stars in the NHL. He posted back-to-back 60+ point seasons in his first two years in Anaheim. He looked like a legitimate part of their future. Unfortunately, things did not work out that way.
Beyond the injuries, Anaheim also made changes to its organization during this time. Pat Verbeek arrived as the new general manager in 2021. And Greg Cronin came in as head coach before the 2023-24 season.
These moves began the disintegration of Zegras’s relationship with Anaheim. The Flyers forward recently spoke with ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. In this interview, he revealed that he didn’t see eye-to-eye with the new leadership.
“I think when you have a new GM and you’re bring in a new coach, I think they want things done their way. And not to say that I wasn’t OK with doing everything their way, but I think there were things that maybe we didn’t see eye to eye on a ton of the time and maybe they viewed that as a negative thing,” Zegras said, via Wyshynski.
Position Change, Contract Affected Trevor Zegras
Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty ImagesTrevor Zegras did not see eye-to-eye with the Anaheim Ducks.
One easy sign of trouble, at least in hindsight, came during the 2023 offseason. Zegras was a restricted free agent that year. And he didn’t sign a new contract until after training camp began. When he did sign, it was a three-year bridge contract as opposed to a longer term deal.
“The contract stuff played a role, too. That was hard, just from a mental standpoint. That was a year with the new coach and then you kind of come in behind the 8-ball,” Zegras admitted, via Wyshynski.
He proceeded to have a slow start during the 2023-24 campaign. He had one goal through his first 12 games. And eventually, Cronin moved him to the wing in favor of others at center. This also had an affect, according to Zegras.
“It’s, ‘You’re moving over here, you’re moving over here, you’re moving over here.’ And you’re like, ‘I’m doing everything you want me to do,’” he said.
Zegras had his season cut short to injury that year. He played just 31 games in 2023-24. In 2024-25, he ended up playing just 51 games. The Ducks moved on from both Cronin and Zegras this summer.
Flyers See New Determination In Zegras
Philadelphia is making a bit of a gamble with this move. The Flyers are betting on his health. And they are betting that a new situation could see him improve on the ice. They have already seen a willingness to improve in training camp.
“There are certain parts of his game that he knows that he has to clean up. (Trevor’s) willing to learn,” Tocchet said, via Wyshynski. “He’s coachable, he’s been in the office watching video, he’s on the ice listening to the other coaches. He’s a great kid.”
Zegras and the Flyers are looking to find mutual success in 2025-26. And they each believe they are the right fit for each other. Philadelphia begins its 2025-26 regular season on October 9th against the Florida Panthers.
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