It came down to the wire, but the Anaheim Ducks got their man. Restricted free agent Trevor Zegras re-signed with the team for three seasons at $5.75 million (average annual value), and the Ducks retain their leading scorer on a bridge deal. The 22-year-old led the club in scoring last season with 23 goals and 65 points in 81 games. He was Anaheim’s first-round pick in the 2019 Draft and made his NHL debut in 2021. The young center burst onto the scene with his must-see highlight reel goals while making “The Michigan” relevant once again.
Zegras is the new face of the franchise and even became the cover boy for EA’s NHL 23 video game, a space normally reserved for the game’s elite. So why didn’t the front office want to sign their young phenom to a long-term deal? Talented top-line pivots are a rare commodity, and for a franchise that finished dead last in the standings in 2022-23, you would think they’d want to hold onto as much talent as they can. However, general manager (GM) Pat Verbeek and the front office made the right call for the future. Here are my three takeaways from this signing.
1. Is the Ducks’ Pipeline Too Good?
The Ducks’ prospect pool is one of the best in the game, with Mason McTavish, Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, Jamie Drysdale, Lukas Dostal, and the 2023 second-overall pick, Leo Carlsson, to name just a few. But the team is still not ready to compete, and this season will see its fair share of growing pains.
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But what about two to three summers from now, when Anaheim is ready to take that next step? Do they consider Zegras a top-line center with McTavish and Carlsson in the mix? Maybe Verbeek has watched the situation play out with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers – two teams that are cap-crunched because most of their space is tied up in very few players. According to ESPN, the Ducks did not want to sign Zegras to a long-term deal, and apparently, their initial offer came in at a “significantly lower” salary than the $5.75 million they eventually agreed on.
Does that sound like the organization considers him a future franchise cornerstone? It’s too early to say, but I have to wonder if management didn’t want to risk paying him long-term and then get stuck with his deal when he could become as low as their third-line center behind McTavish and Carlsson. Don’t you think the Maple Leafs want another crack at that John Tavares deal? Today, NHL clubs hesitate to sign their up-and-comers long-term as we continue to see more and more bridge deals while teams wait for the salary cap to increase. Anaheim has other mouths to feed, and their prospect system will be a “feeding frenzy” when the time comes.
2. The Wait and See Approach
I think Verbeek nailed it – “the ever-so-popular-GM-favorite-bridge-deal.” Pay less now and (hopefully) not a lot more later. At three years, they can be patient and see if the 22-year-old will become that franchise player that so many expect he will become. Anaheim will be negotiating a lot of big contracts over the next three years, and this deal protects them from future cap concerns. If he does become that player – great. Then he will have earned that big contract as he will still be in his early prime. This gives the team the flexibility they need to process and evaluate their core players for long-term success.
Some analysts pieced together hypothetical trades for Zegras this summer, and while rumors floated about, I doubt that Anaheim entertained any of them – I don’t think they know what they have in Zegras just yet. Is he a leader – someone who will wear the “C” for the orange and black one day, or is he another hot-shot young gun who averages about 55-60 points and is more concerned about embarrassing defenders than winning the respect of his teammates? He’ll now have the chance to prove his worth over the next three seasons.
3. Chip On His Shoulder
When it’s all said and done, a GM wants what’s best for his team. But how will Zegras react to all of this? Will it affect his play? My curious self wonders if the team wants to see that infamous “chip on the shoulder season” from him – and get the best possible player that they think he could become. He has the talent, but maybe management wants to see if he has the heart. When you consider the deals his former National Team Development Program (NTDP) teammates recently signed – Cole Caufield for eight years, $62.8 million, and Jack Hughes at eight years, $64 million – you have to wonder what kind of impact that will have on his season.
How will this all play out? I see the best of both worlds colliding in this scenario, as I project Zegras to have a big season and this deal will pay for both parties. The Ducks will finally turn the corner into “playoff land”, while the Massachusetts native will sign long-term in 2026. It’s no secret he loves the lifestyle in Southern California. What 22-year-old hockey star wouldn’t? This is a pivotal campaign for his development, as I’m sure he and the club expect a big step up in that department. The NHL desperately needs players like Zegras. He’s already a YouTube sensation with his unique stick-handling skills and his outgoing personality. This writer definitely wants to see that continue in Anaheim for the foreseeable future.
