06/23/25 04:11:00
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06/23 15:06 CDT Anaheim Ducks trade Trevor Zegras to Philadelphia Flyers for
Ryan Poehling and draft picks
Anaheim Ducks trade Trevor Zegras to Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling and
draft picks
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) --- The Anaheim Ducks traded Trevor Zegras to the
Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, ending the exciting forward's inconsistent
half-decade in Orange County.
The Ducks get forward Ryan Poehling and the 45th overall pick in the upcoming
draft that initially belonged to Columbus, along with a fourth-round pick next
season.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said he dealt away the Ducks' charismatic
former leading scorer in part because Zegras no longer fit the Ducks' roster as
they attempt to end their seven-year playoff drought.
"You start imagining lines and how you want certain players to complement each
other," Verbeek said. "We started looking at that scenario, so ultimately we
made the decision to move Trevor because of that."
Zegras is a natural center who wants to be a playmaker in the middle, but
rising stars Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish have earned those spots on
Anaheim's top two lines, which has forced Zegras to play left wing or to center
a depth line. The Ducks also recently acquired longtime Rangers forward Chris
Kreider, who works out with Zegras in the summer, to play left wing on one of
their top two lines.
"I think he'll be given that opportunity in Philadelphia to play center,"
Verbeek said. "He's more creative in the middle of the ice and (not) having to
play from the wing. We're fortunate that there's Leo and there's Mason, (but)
Trevor has to kind of get pushed to the wing, and that probably doesn't suit
his best attributes."
Verbeek also acknowledged the financial realities of the deal. Zegras will be a
restricted free agent next summer, when the Ducks also will need to re-sign
Carlsson, promising forward Cutter Gauthier and talented young defensemen
Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger.
The big, speedy Poehling will become a key contributor on the Ducks' awful
special teams, Verbeek predicted. Poehling was one of the Flyers' top
penalty-killing forwards last season while scoring 31 points --- just one fewer
than Zegras.
Verbeek still realizes his decision will rankle some Ducks supporters who won't
be happy to lose the most interesting player on a few terrible Anaheim teams in
recent years. Zegras remained a fan favorite at Honda Center throughout his
tenure with the Ducks, who hired coach Joel Quenneville last month with the
stated goal to return to the playoffs next spring.
Zegras was the Ducks' first-round pick in 2019, and he had two 60-point seasons
early in his NHL career. He finished as the runner-up to Detroit's Moritz
Seider in 2022 for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie.
Zegras also became well known outside Anaheim for his proficiency with the
Michigan goal, in which a player lifts the puck with his stick blade and wraps
it into the net from behind.
But the 24-year-old Zegras struggled with injuries and consistency for the past
two seasons, scoring just 47 points in 88 combined games. He had 12 goals and
20 assists in 57 games last season, increasing his production at midseason
after a slow start and a 22-game absence with a knee injury.
Zegras' commitment to defense was also widely questioned in Anaheim, although
he appeared to make significant strides on that end of the ice last season.
Zegras has been a frequent topic of loud trade rumors for the past two seasons,
although Verbeek claimed Monday that "there was never really anything talked
about in the past as far as Trevor."
The Flyers made another major deal with the Ducks in January 2024, with GM
Danny Briere sending the disgruntled Gauthier to Anaheim for defenseman Jamie
Drysdale, Zegras' longtime friend. Both Zegras and Drysdale were drafted in the
first round by the Ducks before Verbeek took over the front office.
Gauthier had a strong rookie season for Anaheim with 20 goals and 24 assists,
while Drysdale scored 20 points with a minus-32 rating last season for the
Flyers.
Philadelphia also has a new coach for the upcoming season with the hiring of
Rick Tocchet.
Poehling had 12 goals and 19 assists in 68 games as a depth forward for
Philadelphia last season. After starting his career in Montreal and getting
traded to Pittsburgh for the 2022-23 season, he signed with the Flyers as a
free agent and produced the best two offensive seasons of his career.
___
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