The Philadelphia Flyers spent most of their offseason working on some in-house moves, ensuring that some of their top players would remain in the organiaiton for the foreseeable future. One of the players general manager Danny Briere chose to re-sign was forward Trevor Zegras. After a great first season in Philadelphia, where he was one of their leading scorers in the regular season and the playoffs, Zegras was rewarded with a four-year, $36.5 million contract extension.
It was a huge commitment for Zegras, who was coming off of a disappointing stint with the Anaheim Ducks. But, it's one that the Flyers believe will benefit them for the duration of the deal, as they seek to win the Stanley Cup.
One former player believes that the Zegras deal is not only risky, but one of the riskiest in the entire league.
Former NHL goalie Martin Biron believes Trevor Zegras has one of the riskiest contracts in NHL
During an appearance on TSN, former NHL goalie Martin Biron revealed three contracts given out this NHL offseason that were the riskiest. Biron mentioned Zegras, while citing how he is coming off of a bounce back season, there were the down years he had with Anaheim. Hence why he believes the deal could be a risk.
"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."
It is understandable why there would be some apprehension about a team would give out a contract extension that contains over $9 million in annual salary after one good year. Zegras didn't live up to the hype that surrounded him during his time with the Ducks. Given his start and his inclusion on the cover of the EA Sports NHL video game franchise, fans thought the league had its next big star. However, there were factors for his decline in Anaheim.
Before the 2023-24 season, Zegras held out of Ducks training camp as he sought out a new contract. Then, Zegras dealt with numerous injuries. During the 2023-24 season, Zegras was limited to just 31 games due to an ankle injury that required surgery. Zegras was then limited to 57 games during the 2024-25 season due to a knee injury.
There was also the coaching change the Ducks went through from Dallas Eakins to Greg Cronin. When Cronin took over, the Ducks wanted Zegras to change positions from center to wing, which Zegras said affected his play.
So yes, there are risks involved, but the Flyers have all the trust in the world with Zegras. One season was all they needed.
Trevor Zegras took on role of leader early during his time in Philadelphia
While Zegras is only 25 years old, he has been in the league for more than half a decade. On the ice, he has shown he will not only set up scoring opportunities or put the puck in the back of the net, but also he will get under the opponents skin to give the team an advantage. In the playoffs, he became a noted villain among Pittsburgh Penguins fans.
But, off the ice, Zegras has shown he is willing to help out some of the young Flyers players who make their debut with the team. Not only did he offer advice for them, but also help them with living situations. Denver Barkey revealed last season that Zegras offered a room in his house for the rookie to stay in, which he accepted. Before training camp this week, Zegras revealed that top prospect Porter Martone is also staying at Zegras' place, along with Barkey and veteran Christian Dvorak.
The Flyers are banking on their young players to take that next step, and Zegras is playing a role to ensure that they are ready.
While yes, Flyers fans will want to see Zegras to put up similar or better numbers than the season prior, his contract is pretty affordable, especially considering the absurd contracts that were handed out this offseason. But, if Zegras continues to be a leader for the team and help the likes of Martone, Barkey, and Matvei Michkov, that would only make the Flyers' future look brighter.
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