NHL Analyst: "Really Solid Possibility" That Trevor Zegras Gets Traded

Trevor Zegras has been one of the splashiest names on the rumor mill for months now. Several teams have been linked to the Anaheim Ducks' talented young center, but here we are in August, and he's still in Southern California. That doesn't mean, however, that there isn't a "really solid possibility" that Zegras will still get dealt before the puck drops on the new season (or by the trade deadline, at least).

Former NHLer-turned-NHL Network analyst Stu Grimson tells us that Ducks GM Pat Verbeek is likely not keen to have Zegras as one of his building blocks:

Trevor Zegras often comes up in trade rumors around the league.

What could the Ducks get in return if they decided to trade Zegras?@JamieHersch | @asgrimson | #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/uqdOP84sph
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 4, 2024

"I suspect there's a really solid possibility there (for a trade) and I say that for this reason: Pat Verbeek comes over as general manager going two years back now, and he inherits a Trevor Zegras," explains Grimson. "Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Zegras fan, I think he's got great offensive upside. (BUT) I think there's a good bit of maturity to evolve where his game is concerned, as well as on the defensive side of the puck."

I don't know that, given a blank canvas, Pat Verbeek reaches out, grabs a Zegras and makes him part of the roster... A guy that could bring a really robust return by way of a trade. There's a good possibility that Zegras moves on. There's gotta be some fire where all that smoke has been emanating.

Zegras started his NHL career with two consecutive 23-goal, 60+ point seasons, filled with oodles of dazzling offensive highlights. But as Grimson notes, there are other parts of his game that still need work, plus let's not forget the fact that he's coming off a disastrous third season in which injuries and poor performance left him with just six goals and 15 points in 31 games.

Several teams have had noted interest in the 23-year-old, including the Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers. And who wouldn't love to see the fireworks if the Flyers dropped Zegras into head coach John Tortorella's lap? Torts has ripped Zegras's "showmanship", saying if anyone tried some of his antics in the old days, "you'd get your head taken off."