Getting Trevor Zegras at the right price point was crucial for Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers made their big swing yesterday and landed a player that had been on the trade market for seemingly two seasons. Danny Briere made arguably his first net-positive on-roster acquisition since taking over as GM, landing Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks for center Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. 

The deal came together rather quickly, Daily Faceoff was told, as Ducks GM Pat Verbeek called the Flyers early yesterday morning to push the deal over the finish line. According to a team source, discussions were had over the weekend but came to a halt when the Flyers held the line on the package they were comfortable giving up; the Ducks circled back once they were ready to get the deal done and (presumably) could not find a better return in a timely fashion.

On the surface, the return the Ducks pulled for the 2019 ninth overall pick is rather underwhelming. A fourth-line player and two draft picks outside the first round aren’t eye popping for a 24-year-old who already has two 60-plus point seasons under his belt. But according to multiple league sources, this was the widespread value across the league for Zegras.

“Not certain why his value would have been perceived high,” said one Eastern Conference executive. “Been a tough few years and a decent ticket ($5.75 million AAV). Hard to get value when that’s the case.”

The belief/hope from the Flyers is that Zegras will re-emerge as a top-six center. Verbeek said in his media availability that Zegras not playing center was one of the reasons for the ultimate disconnect between the player and the team; as the Anaheim GM alluded to, Zegras will get that opportunity in Philadelphia. But there is still uncertainty if Zegras will ultimately be a center in the NHL, as three different league sources all told Daily Faceoff that they don’t believe he is a center. 

“From what I’ve seen he’s more of a winger,” said one executive.

But even if Zegras is more of a winger than a center, is it a real loss of a trade for the Flyers? No slight at Ryan Poehling or the two players ultimately taken with those two draft picks, but it is a package worth the risk on a guy like Zegras who has a lot of untapped potential. All this being said, there is a reason why the Flyers got him for what they did. 

According to a team source, the Flyers held the line on their value for Zegras not because he may not be a center – but because that is the value they believed he had across the NHL. This was echoed by several league sources (as I alluded to earlier), though one did say that he was worth the risk for the Flyers for that package. But according to more than one source, the overarching belief is that Verbeek just wanted to get rid of the player; could Verbeek have something else cooking?

With rumors swirling around Mitch Marner, could Verbeek have just wanted to get a deal over the finish line in order to have as much money freed up in order to present a major offer to the (soon to be) former Toronto Maple Leafs forward? That is more dot connecting on my part more than anything else, but there has been speculation about what Anaheim could conjure up to lure Marner.

For the Flyers, getting Zegras into the fold is a desperate injection talent their top six needed. Having been in talks with the Ducks going back to last season regarding Zegras – there were discussions more than a year ago about a potential Zegras for Joel Farabee swap that didn’t materialize – they get a player with a skill set that rarely is available via trade. Briere being able to hold the line on his valuation of Zegras (despite the need for the player’s skill and potential positional fit) bodes well for public perception, showing the Flyers were not going to crater out of desperation.

The Flyers finally got their guy, who has the talent to be a long-term fixture down the middle as a top-six talent. With the potential to be a center for Matvei Michkov, the Flyers are slowly putting the pieces together and addressing their long search for high-end skill. There are no guarantees on what Zegras ultimately becomes, but given what they gave up to get him, the risk is well worth it for a team that has been long-starved for high-end talent.

Flyers’ goaltending search

As Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli recently reported, the Flyers have been searching far and wide for goaltending help. While they will likely have to go the free agency route, it has not stopped Briere from checking in on other goaltenders still under team control. 

According to a team source, the Flyers kicked tires on St. Louis Blues goaltender Joel Hofer (RFA) and Vancouver Canucks netminder Thatcher Demko; the ask for both goaltenders included a first-round pick, Daily Faceoff was told. According to a source, Hofer’s unproven potential and Demko’s injury history (along with being a year away from UFA status) are too big of risks to take to justify giving up a first-round pick. 

Sam Ersson is expected to be on the Flyers’ roster next season, but Ivan Fedotov is likely to be waived and start with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. 2023 second-round pick Carson Bjarnason is turning pro and will be in the AHL, but it may be more than just two goaltenders down there to start the season. Despite a ton of speculation suggesting he may be done with the franchise, I was told yesterday the team still expects Aleksei Kolosov to report for camp and be in North America next season. Will Kolosov ultimately stay overseas? Potentially, but the team’s plan/expectation as of now is for him to report to camp. 

I do believe that New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen will be among the top free agents the Flyers will target; problem is, there is likely to be a handful of teams who target him, as well. I do wonder about Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who is heading to free agency for the third time in four years. Names like Anton Forsberg and Ville Husso have also been mentioned to me as potential targets. According to a source, Ducks goaltender John Gibson is not an option due to his injury history and contract status. Oh, and I can’t imagine Kurt Overhardt being his agent helps things.

_____

Recently by Anthony Di Marco

• Could Flyers, Sabres make for good trade partners this offseason?
• Flyers likely to pursue stopgap options at center this offseason
• As the Devils’ top priority, what could Luke Hughes’ contract look like?
• Could Nic Hague be a good fit for the Flyers?
• With coaching hire out of way, Bruins’ focus shifts to Morgan Geekie contract