The New York Rangers have been one of the best teams in the NHL this season and have done so having dealt with several injuries since the beginning of the season. Battling through injuries to their starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin, as well as Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, and Tyler Pitlick, who have been solid this season, should have made it a little tougher to win games. Still, the Rangers have found a way to continue winning and remain dominant. With their team looking ready to make a push for a Stanley Cup, they will likely be buyers as we near the trade deadline, but there is one name that has been tossed around recently that the Rangers should avoid.
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Just days after the Anaheim Ducks shocked the hockey universe and traded Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Cutter Gauthier, there is another name from the Ducks that has seemingly become available via trade. Trevor Zegras has been one of the most entertaining players in the NHL for the past several seasons but has now found his name come up in trade talks. As one of few players who have pulled off the coveted “Michigan” goal, he earned himself a massive contract extension for his offensive ability and his impact as a person and player in Anaheim.
The Rangers will be scouting rebuilding teams to see if there are any players they think can help bring them closer to a Stanley Cup. The Ducks aren’t in a position to win this season, so selling off players to focus on their future wouldn’t be a shocker, and Zegras hitting the market shouldn’t be a surprise, either. However, the Rangers don’t need another offensive-minded forward to bolster their team, and he simply isn’t someone who fills a need right now, so they should avoid trading for him.
Who Is Trevor Zegras?
Zegras is a 22-year-old left-shot forward from Bedford, New York. He was drafted in the first round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Ducks at ninth overall after a stellar season in the U.S. National Development Program (NDTP), where he scored 26 goals and added 61 assists for 87 points through 60 games. During the same season, he played 27 games in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the USNTDP Juniors, scoring 14 goals and added 26 assists for 40 points.
Zegras played in the NCAA the following season with Boston University, where he scored 11 goals and added 25 assists for 36 points through 33 games. He also represented the USA at the U20 World Junior Hockey Championship, where he had nine assists through five games. In the 2020-21 season, he split the season between the NHL with the Ducks and the American Hockey League (AHL) with the San Diego Gulls. With the Gulls, he scored 10 goals and added 11 assists for 21 points through 17 games. With the Ducks, he scored three goals and added 10 assists for 13 points through 24 games.
Over the previous two seasons, Zegras has had back-to-back 60-point campaigns, earning a career-high 65 points through 81 games during the 2022-23 season. This season, he has taken a steep decline and only has seven points through the Ducks’ first 20 games and has faced criticism for his lackluster play at both ends of the ice. Over his short NHL career so far, he has 146 points through 200 games.
Why Should the Rangers Stay Away?
The Rangers don’t need another offensive-minded forward who would bolster their scoring in the top six. If they’re going to acquire anybody, they’ll want depth forwards who play strong defensive games or a depth defenseman who can be a No. 7 during their playoff run. Even if they choose to go out and grab a star-caliber player similar to Zegras, it likely wouldn’t be him, nor should he be in consideration. The Rangers need strong defensive players, which is not Zegras’ game.
There are several reasons this fit doesn’t make sense, from the Rangers needing to find the money to bring him in and sacrificing another player to the fit based on the current construction of the roster. He would have no set spot in the lineup, and he would likely be taking ice time away from someone else who doesn’t deserve to be dropped, like Vincent Trocheck down the middle. There is no reason for the Rangers to try and bring in Zegras, even though he is an extremely skilled forward that many teams will be interested in acquiring. But right now, it makes no sense for the Rangers to pursue him.
As mentioned, the Rangers will likely be buyers heading into the trade deadline so hopefully, they make the right moves to give themselves the best chance at being Stanley Cup champions, and hopefully, that doesn’t involve Zegras.
