The 2024-25 NHL season might have reached its end, but the offseason frenzy is only getting started. Ahead of the Draft weekend, the Anaheim Ducks parted ways with once-considered franchise player, Trevor Zegras, sending him to the Philadelphia Flyers. Now, one of the league’s flashiest players will join a division where Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to prove the old school can still compete with the new kids on the block.
The Flyers are looking quite different than what hockey usually implied in Philadelphia. In a city where the Legion of Doom roamed the ice during the 1990s, the Flyers now boast a lineup filled with flare, confidence, and swagger.
As Zegras is set to join Matvei Michkov and company in the City of Brotherly Love, Guinness World Records might need to be put on notice—there could be a new mark set for the most lacrosse-style goal attempts in NHL history. Still, Philadelphia won’t shy away from making its presence felt on the ice. Especially when Crosby and the Penguins stand on the other end.
After the league woke up to the news of Zegras’ trade to Philly, the video of Crosby’s heated interaction with the former Ducks‘ star resurfaced.
Perhaps it’s for the best
Both the Flyers and Ducks are gearing up for a new day when the NHL season kickstarts. Both sides are entering the campaign with new head coaches behind the bench as Rick Tocchet joins Philadelphia and Joel Quenneville makes his return to the league in Anaheim. The deal made sense for all the parties involved.
On the one hand, Zegras could truly benefit from a change of scenery. Quenneville’s Ducks didn’t seem like the ideal environment for the 2019 first-round pick to regain his confidence.
And while the Flyers may not have looked like the best fit on paper, Rick Tocchet might be intrigued by the opportunity to help a rising star find his game. He didn’t have much success doing that with Elias Pettersson in Vancouver, but this could be the perfect shot at redemption.
Trade breakdown
Trevor Zegras was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers by the Anaheim Ducks on Monday for Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick (No. 45) in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, per NHL.com.