When Daniel Briere traded for Trevor Zegras this past summer, it was almost universally praised by the fanbase. Zegras, the ninth overall pick in the 2019 draft, looked to be on his way to being a bona fide NHL star center to start his career, putting up back-to-back seasons with over 60 points in his second and third NHL campaigns. However, he was never able to build upon that as injuries and inconsistent lineup usage derailed the rest of his time with the Anaheim Ducks. Zegras’s name had been swirling in trade rumors for years before he was finally moved to the Flyers for pennies on the dollar. No one would argue that Zegras was immensely talented, but the question was: could Trevor Zegras find the magic that made him look so promising in the beginning?
So far, the answer seems to be a resounding “yes”. Zegras has settled in just fine on a line with Christian Dvorak and Matvei Michkov. Through eight games, Zegras has been an integral piece of the Flyers lineup. He has averaged just shy of seventeen minutes per night and has scored at a point per game pace (2 goals, 6 assists). Three of his eight points have also come on the man-advantage, which is an area the Flyers have desperately needed scoring help. What’s even more impressive is that head coach Rick Tocchet has used Zegras at both center and at wing, something that plagued Zegras in the past, and he is still finding ways to produce. He’s not just getting lucky either – four of his six assists have been the primary one as well, indicating he is driving team offense instead of being a passenger.
It’s still early, as we are not even ten games into Zegras’s tenure as a Flyer. However, it’s impossible to not be excited about what he has brought to the table thus far. While he might not maintain his current production over a full season, he does seem well poised to at least match his previous career highs. The Flyers have been starved for a player of Zegras’s offensive gifts, particularly at center, but it seems like the Flyers may finally have one with a scoring touch.
By: Katie Bogan (@cl4udegiroux)
photo credit: nhl.com
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