The Trevor Zegras era in Anaheim has come to a close. On Monday, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for forward Ryan Poehling, the 45th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a 2026 fourth-round pick.

“While this was a difficult trade to make, we have and will continue to look at retooling our roster over the next couple of months,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a team statement. This transaction is part of that process. We wish Trevor the best of luck with the Flyers.” Verbeek also thanked Zegras for his contributions and efforts over the last six seasons.

On the surface, this trade comes at a strange time. Zegras’ trade value had plummeted after two difficult seasons under Greg Cronin, not to mention long-term injuries curtailing both of those seasons. The offensive production wasn’t consistent, but there were signs that he was capable of getting back to the 60-plus point campaigns he’d had as a rookie and sophomore in the NHL.

With one year remaining on the three-year contract he’d signed after a contract dispute in 2023, Zegras was likely on the outside looking in when it came to receiving an extension beyond his current deal. He had been shifted to the wing after coming into the league as a natural center and his limited deployment on the power play suggested that he did not figure into Anaheim’s long-term plans.

“When the players are in those circumstances, we all take everything year-by-year,” Verbeek said when asked in April about Zegras and pending UFA Jacob Trouba fitting into the organization long-term. “I’m certainly going to be watching to see how each of them perform and take in the whole course of the season to decide where we go. They’re obviously quality hockey players. We’ve got a lot of quality hockey players in our system, so there’s going to be a lot of things that are going happen and we’ll have to be able to figure that out and assess that at the appropriate time.”

Joel Quenneville’s hiring as head coach this past May suggested that Zegras may get an opportunity to play in the NHL under a head coach who knows how to utilize him properly. Comparisons to how Patrick Kane, a player who Zegras looks up to, was deployed in Chicago came to mind.

Chris Kreider, one of Zegras’ good friends, was also acquired by the Ducks via trade earlier in June, further suggesting that a better environment was being put in place for the former ninth overall pick.

Instead, that will come in Philadelphia with the Flyers under new head coach Rick Tocchet. Zegras reunites with good friend and former roommate, Jamie Drysdale, who was traded to the Flyers in Jan. 2024 for Cutter Gauthier and a second-round pick.

Poehling has one year remaining on the contract he signed with the Flyers in Jan. 2024, which carries a $1.9 million cap hit. A collegiate star at St. Cloud State, Poehling was drafted 25th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Montréal Canadiens but has found it difficult to lock down an everyday role in the NHL.

He seemed to have found a home in Philadelphia after a short stop in Pittsburgh following his departure from the Canadiens, setting career-highs in points in both of his seasons in the City of Brotherly Love.

In Anaheim, Poehling will likely fill a bottom-6 role, as he’s done over the past few seasons for the Penguins and Flyers. He has some edge to his game and could see time on the penalty kill. He had three shorthanded goals in 2023-24.

Swapping Zegras for Poehling-plus gives the Ducks some wiggle room financially—not that they need it very much right now. But with the ability to sign players like Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe and Cutter Gauthier to contract extensions on Jul. 1 and Mason McTavish and Lukáš Dostál needing new deals this offseason, something was always going to have to give. 

For the Flyers, it gives them a chance to see what Zegras can do—likely at center—before it comes time to extend him. A fan favorite in Anaheim, Zegras’ eventual return to Honda Center will be highly anticipated.

Featured image caption: Apr 7, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images