Zegras trade sets up intriguing offseason for Ducks, who have a win-now mandate

New York Times

4 hours ago

The long-rumored trade of Trevor Zegras by the Anaheim Ducks was always going to provoke a knee-jerk reaction — as every trade seems to do these days. On Monday, general manager Pat Verbeek was either sharply criticized or outright roasted because of the perceived paltry return.
Zegras, the runner-up for the 2022 Calder Trophy, was pawned off on the Philadelphia Flyers for a fourth-line center and two draft picks, neither of which is in the first round. It is a major letdown for Ducks fans, many of whom thought Verbeek would hold off on a trade until he was blown away by an offer.
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The public skewering of Verbeek will be deserved if he doesn't come out of this offseason with a proven high-impact scorer. But after this trade, Verbeek has even greater flexibility to deliver on the ownership-driven mandate to propel the Ducks back into prominence.
Henry Samueli, who bought the Ducks with his wife, Susan, in 2005, wants back in the Stanley Cup chase after seven challenging seasons outside the postseason. Samueli, who normally stays far away from the spotlight, spoke in no uncertain terms last month about making the playoffs when Anaheim introduced Joel Quenneville as its new coach.
'That is the pressure we're putting on both Pat and Joel,' he said. 'They know that the fans and the ownership expect to make the playoffs this (next) season. There's a lot of pressure to put on a coach and a GM. But you got to do it.'
So, how did Samueli respond Monday after Verbeek traded one of his most marketable players for two draft picks and a role player in Ryan Poehling?
'He was completely fine,' Verbeek said. 'He understands that there's moves that have to be made. Ultimately, Henry wants to win, and I have to make moves that I feel can improve the team and the chemistry of this team and the makeup. He was fine with it.'
Even from a hockey standpoint, the trade made sense. Zegras seemed to have hit something of a wall with the Ducks. He dealt with two years of ankle, knee and groin injuries amid a lot of unfulfilled potential, stunted in part by the team's demand for him to improve his two-way play. Zegras' talents are too good to waste in third-line minutes, and there appeared to be no way he'd push either Leo Carlsson or Mason McTavish to the wing.
But moreover for Verbeek and the Ducks, this is the time to get something big done – whether it's this week during draft preparations or when free agency opens on July 1 – and the Ducks now have an even greater ability to hunt down a game-changer. The trade netted the Ducks salary-cap savings of $3.8 million, giving Anaheim what PuckPedia estimates is $36 million available this summer. And they've also now got two second-round picks (Nos. 49 and 60) to go with their own No. 10 choice in the first round.
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Mitch Marner is the obvious connection, given the Ducks' need for an offensive star (particularly on right wing) and their desire to have their young core flanked by playoff-tested veterans. The Ducks are believed to be interested, although that interest could turn cool depending on how high Marner wants to go in average salary.
There is no getting around what Marner could potentially make ($14 million AAV in a rising-cap environment), and his impact as a difference-making star has diminished in recent postseasons. The Ducks might have considered throwing that kind of money at Mikko Rantanen had he hit the open market. But Marner at $11 million probably sounds more palatable to the Ducks than putting him in Leon Draisaitl territory — and then counting on him to have a Draisaitl-sized thumbprint on a playoff series.
One problem for the Ducks is that, beyond Marner, this year's free-agent class is short on the type of players they need in order to take that huge step forward. Sam Bennett, the newly crowned two-time Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, would be welcomed in Anaheim but seems to want to stay in Florida. John Tavares and Brad Marchand are probably unrealistic. And the UFA forward mix drops off sharply after Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser.
Pursuing a trade means giving up assets, instead of just cash. But Verbeek has shown that he won't be afraid to deal. The Ducks have other youngsters — outside of Carlsson, McTavish and Cutter Gauthier — to put into play, although Beckett Sennecke, last year's No. 3 pick, is one they would seriously prefer to keep off the table.
Asked whether he'd consider trading the No. 10 pick, Verbeek said, 'Yes. I'm looking at that as well. Certainly. I think there's a lot of teams looking at that. You can go after a player that's probably in his prime right now and be able to add to the group. So, there's certainly some of that stuff we're exploring.'
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Does that mean Martin Nečas, a past trade target, will get looked at again? JJ Peterka? Maybe a less-costly Bryan Rust, once his no-move clause expires? It's hard to say. None of that is going to matter if Verbeek can't land a big fish. But he scoffed as the suggestion of increased pressure on him to deliver after getting a small return for Zegras.
'There's no pressure,' Verbeek said. 'We're going to go about the process. You're recruiting. It's no different than trying to recruit a player to go to college for your team. It's no different. It's the same process. Now you're dealing with professionals. You have to put your best foot forward and try and sell your team. You have to try and sell the players. There's a lot. Orange County. Ultimately, players make decisions for a lot of different reasons. The pressure is … we're going to do our best and hopefully things work out.'
Meanwhile, trading Zegras and bringing in Poehling — after his trade for Chris Kreider this month — further illustrates how Verbeek views the Ducks' lineup coming together.
'Obviously, Chris is a big kid,' Verbeek said. 'He's 6-(foot-)3, 230. I'm looking at Ryan Poehling. He's 6-2, 215 pounds. They're mature players. And based on their roles and stuff, this is part of the different chemistry and different makeup that I'm looking to get accomplished. Where they fit will be ultimately left up to Joel as far as the line combinations.
'But we have a vision of where they're going to play, and we'll see. Ultimately, they're going to be great fits for our team and how Joel wants to play. He wants to play fast and they have the ability to play fast and forecheck. It's going to be about playing fast.'
Even at his best during his early days in Anaheim, Zegras wasn't that kind of player. He was a creator who worked a little more deliberately to execute his inventive playmaking for himself and his teammates. The Ducks were a better team when he was on the ice (especially so offensively), but Verbeek clearly had questions (or, perhaps, reservations) about how much better they could be.
Perhaps the bridge (three-year) contract Zegras signed in Oct. 2023 —instead of a long-term deal — laid the groundwork for his departure.
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'I wouldn't accept (the) premise on the question that he was never in my long-term plans,' Verbeek said on Monday. 'You have to intimately get to know these players and their games. I felt that I got to do that.'
But the fact that Verbeek never poured cold water on Zegras trade rumors only fueled speculation that Zegras wouldn't be part of the long-term core. Verbeek acknowledged widespread interest in Zegras, whether it was through teams gauging what he might cost or Verbeek floating his availability.
The saga of whether Verbeek might trade Zegras is finally over. The story of Verbeek's ability or inability to build a winner in Anaheim has only begun.