Report: Teams believe Ducks' Zegras is available
Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has brought up Trevor Zegras to other organizations this season, and teams believe the talented forward is available, sources told Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
A trade doesn't seem imminent, and it's unclear how far conversations have progressed, Seravalli added. TSN's Darren Dreger reported Tuesday night that the Ducks aren't actively shopping Zegras.
The 2019 ninth overall pick departed Tuesday's contest against the Nashville Predators with a lower-body injury after taking an awkward fall into the boards.
Trevor Zegras will not return to the game after sustaining a lower-body injury. pic.twitter.com/7YtN6H3VnA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 10, 2024
Zegras has struggled to start the 2023-24 campaign, mustering just four goals and seven points in 19 games heading into Tuesday's action. He missed all of training camp and the bulk of the preseason as his contract negotiations dragged into the fall, but he ended up signing a three-year, $17.25-million bridge deal as a restricted free agent before the Ducks' first game of the regular season.
The 22-year-old also missed around six weeks with a lower-body injury, an issue which head coach Greg Cronin said had been bothering the player "for a while." Zegras recently showed flashes of his usual show-stopping self, though, scoring a Michigan goal in his return from that ailment on Dec. 23.
Known for his creativity and skill, Zegras has eclipsed the 60-point mark in each of the last two seasons and is coming off back-to-back 23-goal campaigns. He was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy, honoring the league's top rookie, in 2022.
The Ducks made waves on Monday when they traded defenseman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the rights to top forward prospect Cutter Gauthier.