The Flyers made Trevor Zegras one of their major priorities this offseason, and they paid him like it. After one strong year in Philadelphia, the team locked up the forward on a four-year, $36.5 million extension, a deal that came after a rougher stretch with the Anaheim Ducks.
That commitment has drawn plenty of attention, including from former NHL goalie Martin Biron. On TSN, Biron pointed to Zegras as one of the riskiest contracts handed out this offseason, saying the winger’s rebound season does not erase the uncertainty that followed him out of Anaheim.
"He is trending back up, but at any moment, this could come back down," said Biron. "There could be fireworks when it comes to Zegras and the coaching staff and the organization.
So I think that is risky for the Flyers. It could turn out to be really good.
No rewards, no risk. That's not the case with Trevor Zegras."
The concern is easy to understand. Philadelphia is committing more than $9 million per year after one good season, and Zegras’ Ducks tenure never matched the buzz that followed him early in his career.
At one point, with the spotlight on him and his name on the cover of the EA Sports NHL video game franchise, he looked like the league’s next breakout star. Instead, Anaheim’s version of Zegras was shaped by injuries, contract drama and a coaching change.
Before the 2023-24 season, he held out of Ducks training camp while seeking a new deal. Then the injuries piled up.
An ankle injury that required surgery limited him to 31 games in 2023-24, and a knee injury held him to 57 games in 2024-25. The Ducks also moved from Dallas Eakins to Greg Cronin, and when Cronin arrived, the team wanted Zegras to shift from center to wing.
Zegras has said that affected his play.
Even with all of that in the background, the Flyers believed enough in what they saw last season to make the extension happen. They got a player who was one of their leading scorers in both the regular season and the playoffs, and they clearly view that as the real version of Zegras.
There’s also been another side to his arrival in Philadelphia. Zegras, who is 25, has already become something of a veteran voice around a young locker room.
On the ice, he brings skill, scoring touch and an edge that can irritate opponents - enough that he became a familiar villain for Pittsburgh Penguins fans in the playoffs. Off the ice, he has been helping younger Flyers settle in.
Denver Barkey said last season that Zegras offered him a room in his house, and Barkey accepted. Before training camp this week, Zegras said Porter Martone is also staying at his place, along with Barkey and Christian Dvorak.
The Flyers are counting on their young core to keep moving forward, and Zegras is already part of that process. If he keeps producing and keeps guiding players like Martone, Barkey and Matvei Michkov, Philadelphia will feel even better about the contract it handed him.
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Flyers Camp Is Starting To Reveal Which Forwards Fit Together
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The early returns have already pointed to a few combinations that seem to click, even if nothing is locked in this soon. Denver Barkey has stayed in the conversation with Matvei Michkov as Tocchet sorts out his forward looks, while Travis Konecny and Porter Martone have also drawn positive buzz. For a Flyers group trying to identify not just talent but fit, the next few days should tell a lot about which combinations have staying power and which ones are still just experiments. [Read more 🡒]