Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras, who has been the subject for trade rumors for several seasons, was finally moved on June 23 in a deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Ducks get center Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder for Zegras, who had been drafted by Anaheim ninth overall in 2019. He was a runner-up for rookie of the year in 2021-22 when he scored 61 points in 75 games. He followed that up with 65 points in 2022-23 but has dealt with injuries the past two seasons, leading to the trade rumors.
Grading the trade between the Anaheim Ducks and the Philadelphia Flyers:
Philadelphia Flyers: B+
There’s high upside here, assuming Zegras can stay healthy. He’s 24 and will be a restricted free agent after next season. He’s highly creative with several lacrosse-style ‘Michigan’ goals and a lacrosse-style assist. His new teammate, Matvei Michkov, has tried the move unsuccessfully several times. Before the injuries, Zegras had two 23-goal seasons, and the Flyers had only four 20-goal scorers last season and ranked 24th in offense. He also should help the Flyers’ 30th-ranked power play. New Flyers coach Rick Tocchet can fine-tune Zegras’ overall game.
Anaheim Ducks: B-
Zegras was available because the Ducks had traded earlier for Chris Kreider. The return for Zegras was just OK, considering he wasn’t in their long-term plans. Poehling kills penalties and won more than 50 percent of his faceoffs last season. The Ducks were 29th in penalty killing and were last in faceoff winning percentage in 2024-25. The move also clears up $3.85 million in cap space as general manager Pat Verbeek plans to be aggressive this offseason to try to get the team back to the playoffs. The Ducks also could use the extra space toward re-signing key restricted free agents: Mason McTavish this summer and Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier in 2026.