Potential trade chatter surrounding Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras has been inescapable during the calendar year of 2024.
Said chatter was born from speculation following the trade between the Philadelphia Flyers and Anaheim Ducks, which sent Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim in exchange for Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick.
Whether general manager Pat Verbeek and the Ducks’ front office saw Zegras as part of their long-term future was questioned.
Trevor Zegras’ Elevated Attention to Detail Despite Lack of Production
Like his mentor, Steve Yzerman, Pat Verbeek is notoriously tight-lipped and doesn’t tip his hand one way or the other when it comes to his thought process.
The only information that can be taken at face value is that opposing teams reached out to Verbeek and the Ducks to inquire about Zegras, at which point Verbeek “didn’t hang up the phone.”
Though his production has gotten off to a slow start, Trevor Zegras has put an obvious emphasis on elevating the details of his game this season
I present (in a good way) the least sexy Trevor Zegras highlight video, but one where he’s doing all the little things right pic.twitter.com/B1GtwxFf5W
— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) October 31, 2024
One of the NHL’s premier insiders, Elliotte Friedman from Sportsnet, reported on his “32 Thoughts” podcast that he “didn’t think there was a lot of action around Zegras in terms of (a) trade after the draft.”
“I think everybody knew last year, as I wrote, that Montreal was kind of looking at it,” Friedman continued. “I heard that dissipated. It’s just not out there.”
This came on Oct. 14, two days after Zegras scored his first and only goal of the season when he was trusted by Ducks head coach Greg Cronin to protect a one-goal lead in the dying minutes of their season-opening game against the San Jose Sharks.
Ducks’ Zegras is Ready to Bounce Back in 2024-25
Coinciding with the hiring of Cronin at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, even though he was playing with an injury, and through the early part of the 2024-25 season, Zegras has committed himself to details, the defensive side of the puck, and becoming a 200-foot player, something detractors would consistently critique when analyzing his game.
Another of the NHL’s top insiders, Chris Johnston from the Athletic, indicated the Ducks were happy with Zegras’ progression as an all-around player.
“It does sound like the Ducks are pretty happy with him, and that maybe some of the things that they’ve questioned in the past, whether it’s just habits, defensive attention to detail, things like that have been there,” Johnston said on his “The Chris Johnston Show” podcast. “I do think that the atmosphere has shifted a little bit around him.”
“So I mean, everyone’s available at a certain price, but I don’t think it’s a priority. I do think the Ducks are focused on just seeing where this goes,” Johnston concluded.
Zegras only has a goal and two assists through 15 games in the 2024-25 season.
Those with a “glass half-empty” outlook will suggest he lost value, and teams aren’t calling Verbeek like they once may have been.
Those with a “glass half-full” outlook will echo what the NHL’s top reporters are suggesting: that Zegras has made the strides he was asked to make, and the Ducks organization sees him as a significant part of their future.
Ducks’ Zegras learned lots of lessons in tough 2023-24 season
“I mean, I watch a lot of hockey, and I feel like if you want to be a part of a winning team, you gotta do all the small things right all the time,” Zegras said of his attention to detail this season. “Not that it hadn’t sunk in until now, but I’m learning. I’m learning the position a little bit more.”
Zegras has proven himself an extremely coachable player. He is committed to playing the role and style expected of him and hasn’t lost the skill that defined the early part of his career.
“Whether it’s him or Leo (Carlsson), I don’t care what night it is, they’re both number one centermen,” Cronin said following the Ducks’ victory over the Blue Jackets on Sunday. “Trevor was outstanding in the circle, so that’s great for him and that’s great for his linemates.”
He is evolving as an NHL center and is still creating dangerous opportunities for himself and his teammates despite the severe lack of production.
Zegras, Cronin, and those who pay close attention will elude to the notion that it’s only a matter of time before pucks start finding the back of the net for the 23-year-old center and the rest of the Ducks’ struggling offense.
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