Former First Round Pick Officially Placed on the Trade Block, per David Pagnotta
According to NHL Hockey Insider David Pagnotta, the Anaheim Ducks are entertaining trade offers for star player Trevor Zegras as the trade deadline approaches.
The trade deadline is a month away, and as teams figure out whether they are going to be sellers or buyers, it means that a lot of names are being thrown about as potential candidates. We've seen Mikko Rantanen, J.T. Miller and Mikael Granlund all dealt as rosters start to take shape for the postseason push.
One team who isn't going to be in the playoff picture is the Anaheim Ducks, and with a rebuild firmly in sight, the team could be selling off some important assets. Which means that Trevor Zegras is up for grabs; according to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period.
He has another year left on his contract at $5.75 million, then he'll become a restricted free agent. He's only 23. But he hasn't had the type of season they anticipated.
It's funny, he played 31 games last season before being shut down, had six goals, nine assists, and 15 points.
He's played 31 games this season, exact same numbers. They wanted to see an incline in his offensive production, because it would help the trade talks in trying to move him out."
It's a bit crazy to see a former top-10 pick be on the market, but if Anaheim isn't happy with his progression, then they could try and get some big time assets back for him. Still a bit expensive at $5.75M, he's years from his prime and being stuck on a middling Ducks team isn't conducive to progress.
This season, Zegras has six goals, nine assists but is a rough minus-8, and has had some pretty bad defensive numbers as well as under 38% for faceoffs; a tough season for the youngster.
But in 2021-22 and 2022-23 he had identical 23-goal seasons, and ended up with over 60 points each season. He has dealt with a severe injury this year and had surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
For his career, the 23-year old Zegras has 61 goals and 108 assists in 242 games. He is set to be a restricted free agent at the end of next season unless locked up by Anaheim or a potential trade destination.
Pagnotta noted the Ducks still hold Zegras in high regard, but are shopping him around to potential buyers and trying to gauge interest for the summer if something doesn't materialize now:
The Ducks are going to listen to offers for Zegras but he's going to cost at minimum: a first round pick (or two), an NHL-ready 2C, and a high-end prospect. Expect a deal for Zegras to be similar to that of Kirby Dach or Kaapo Kakko at least.
It's a bit surprising to see Zegras' name floating out there and it'll take a king's ransom to get him. But if a team is wanting to take a high risk on a potential franchise player; look no further than Trevor Zegras.
