The Philadelphia Flyers have revamped their coaching staff by bringing in Rick Totchet, and recently made a trade deal ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft. They’ve traded forward Trevor Zegras to the Anaheim Ducks. In return, the Flyers are sending Ryan Poehling along with their second-round pick in 2025 (No. 45) and a fourth-round pick in 2026 to Anaheim.
Zegras had an impressive run with the Ducks, scoring 67 goals and 119 assists over five seasons. His standout year was the 2022-23 season, where he notched 65 points (23 goals, 42 assists) in 81 games. However, injuries limited him to only 88 games over the last two seasons. Before the trade, Zegras recorded 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 57 games last season.
The Ducks, who missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year, have been busy adding depth, recently acquiring veteran forward Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers. Despite this, the Ducks possess a deep roster of forwards.
Looking at the details of the trade: The Flyers received Zegras, while the Ducks obtained Ryan Poehling plus the 2025 second-round and 2026 fourth-round draft picks.
For the Flyers, this trade comes amid a period of transition since their last playoff appearance in the COVID-19 season. Former GM Chuck Fletcher and coach John Tortorella were replaced by Danny Briere and Rick Totchet respectively. Despite no playoff success in 2024-25, Briere has been accumulating valuable assets, including ten picks in the upcoming draft.
Zegras was once viewed as a key Duck player but the team has seen other promising forwards like Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, Leo Carlson, and Cutter Gauthier step up. Ironically, Gauthier was acquired last season in exchange for Jamie Drysdale, who went to the Flyers. Gauthier has expressed reluctance to sign with Philadelphia. Zegras made the NHL All-Rookie team in 2022 and had consecutive 60+ point seasons (2021-22, 2022-23). In 2022-23, he led the Ducks in points, goals, game-winning goals, and overtime goals.
Although there are risks in acquiring Zegras given his injury history, the Flyers can afford it given their surplus of draft picks. Zegras is set to earn $5.75 million in the 2025-26 season and will be a restricted free agent next summer. This trade gives Philadelphia a chance to evaluate how he fits in their top six forwards before committing long-term.
Despite his injuries, Zegras remains a talented player with potential upside. Even if the trade doesn’t pan out, Briere’s gamble is justified given the cost of the draft picks involved. The trade gets a grade of B for the Flyers.
For the Ducks, they now have a surplus of forwards, which partly motivated this move. The return wasn’t quite as high as it might have been at one time, but trading Zegras frees up salary space for next year. Poelling is a versatile bottom-six forward who can play center or wing and brings toughness to the lineup. He scored 12 goals and added 19 assists for the Flyers in 2024-25.
The second-round pick in 2025 is valuable and expected to be a top-50 pick in the draft. GM Pat Verbeek is aiming to build towards a Stanley Cup playoff return next season. Though the return for Zegras isn’t headline-grabbing, the Ducks seem focused on building depth and giving younger players like Leo Carlson a bigger role. This trade represents a clean break for Zegras and the Ducks, who have been discussing his future for some time. The trade earns a C+ grade for Anaheim.
Fan Take: This trade signals a bold attempt by the Flyers to shake up their roster and future prospects by taking a chance on a talented but injury-prone player in Zegras. For hockey fans, it highlights the high stakes and strategic maneuvers teams are willing to undertake to end playoff droughts and rebuild competitive teams.
