The Ducks have traded forward Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for center Ryan Poehling, the 45th overall pick in the upcoming draft and a fourth-round selection next year, as confirmed by both teams.
Zegras, 24, was once a central piece of the Ducks’ rebuild. They drafted him ninth overall in 2019 and the second of his consecutive 60-point seasons saw him lead the team in scoring for 2022-23.
Yet here, after two seasons disrupted heavily by injuries, Zegras is being traded for a bottom-six center and some mid-tier draft picks, as well as $3.85 million in salary-cap flexibility for the upcoming season.
“I want to thank Trevor for his contributions and efforts over the last six years,” Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek said. “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, and this transaction is part of that process. We wish Trevor the best of luck with the Flyers.”
Zegras played just 88 of a possible 164 games in the past two campaigns, missing significant time with injuries to his knee, ankle and groin.
Even prior to his injury issues, Zegras, who was drafted by former general manager Bob Murray, seemed to be less of a cornerstone in the eyes of current Verbeek. Verbeek negotiated a three-year bridge deal with both Zegras and his close friend Jamie Drysdale as both held out well into training camp of a 2023-24 campaign that saw both sustain multiple injuries.
Drysdale, the Ducks’ lottery pick in 2020, was traded within four months of signing his deal and now Zegras will join him, quite literally.
Zegras and Drysdale will be reunited in Philadelphia. Drysdale was traded to Philly along with a second-rounder in exchange for Cutter Gauthier in January of last year.
Last season, Zegras posted 32 points in 57 games, highlighted by a late-season surge with 10 points in as many games.
Arriving to Anaheim will be Poehling, 26, who was drafted 25th overall by Montreal in 2017 and scored a hat trick in his NHL debut with the Canadiens. After a stop in Pittsburgh, he joined the Flyers and set career highs in goals, assists and points in back-to-back seasons, finishing 2024-25 with 12 goals, 19 assists and 31 points.