The Anaheim Ducks are reportedly receiving a lot of inquiries from interested parties to secure a forward trade Trevor Zegras, and the guards are reportedly among the potential suitors.
There appears to be a robust market for the 23-year-old, with seven other teams expressing “serious interest in Zegras,” according to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period.
In addition to New York, the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers are expressing interest and other teams could also be in the mix.
With the market crowded, Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek set a high price. And trade talks will likely “ramp up” ahead of Friday’s NHL Draft, for Pagnotta, but a deal may not be reached this offseason. The report indicated that the Ducks GM may be playing hardball and does not intend to move forward at this time.
The Ducks had already denied acquiring the forward at the trade deadline after contract negotiations between the two sides kept Zegras out of training camp before the season. He finally signed a three-year, $17.25 million contract in early October, just two weeks before the regular season opener, meaning he won’t be a restricted free agent again until after the 2025 season. 26.
Injuries, including a broken ankle, have reduced his 2023-24 campaign to just 31 games. He has six goals and minus-1 nine assists on the season, averaging 17:05 hours of ice time. After returning from an ankle injury, Zegras has done well to rack up eight points in his last 10 games.
In his first 211 games over four seasons since being the 9th overall selection in the 2019 draft, Zegras has recorded 154 points (55 goals, 99 assists) on a minus-40 while averaging 17:51 on the ice. He made the NHL rookie team his first full season in 2021-22, scoring 23 goals and 38 assists.
