The summer of 2024 is shaping up to be intense, with top goalies and young scorers making headlines in the trade market.
Trevor Zegras, a star forward for the Anaheim Ducks, is once again at the center of trade rumors. This isn’t new for Zegras; he missed training camp and preseason while negotiating a new contract. Eventually, he signed a three-year deal worth $17.2 million but then missed most of the season due to a broken ankle. He returned in March after 11 weeks and played 31 games, scoring only 15 points. Despite this, his youth and potential make him highly valuable on the trade market.
Zegras had an impressive rookie year with 23 goals and 61 points in 75 games, almost winning the Calder Trophy . He continued strong in his second year with another 23 goals and 65 points in 81 games. Over his first three seasons, he’s scored a total of 55 goals and earned 154 points in just over 200 games. This puts him ahead of peers like Seth Jarvis and Lucas Raymond.
Trade Rumors:
Fans might think these rumors are just noise, but they could mean big changes for their favorite team. Zegras can play both center and wing positions, though he’s struggled at faceoffs with only a 40.6% win rate. The arrival of Leo Carlsson pushed Zegras back to wing this season where he didn’t fit well into Anaheim’s physical style.
Despite some bumps along the way, Zegras has been an elite scorer since his time with NTDP’s famous lineup in 2019. His early career consistency suggests that last year’s struggles were more about bad luck than declining skills.
Comparing to past trades like Larry Murphy’s move from Los Angeles Kings to Washington Capitals in ’83 might not be perfect but offers some insights: high-scoring young players are rare on the trade block.
The Ducks will look more closely at recent trades involving Martin Necas or Nikolaj Ehlers for guidance . Necas is still older than Zegras by three years which makes any comparison tricky but provides context on what such talent could fetch today.
Anaheim has time; Zegras’ contract runs two more seasons before he becomes a restricted free agent again—plenty long enough to see how things unfold with other key players like Necas or Ehlers before making any decisions themselves.
What do you think? Should they keep him or trade him away?