Highly-skilled forward Trevor Zegras is apparently on the trade block in Anaheim and the Senators have reportedly expressed interest.
A new report this week indicated that the Ottawa Senators have expressed interest in flashy Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras. The Fourth Period quoted multiple sources who say the Senators are one of at least four teams interested.
Zegras is known best for being one of the game's finest trick-shot artists – possibly the best we've ever seen. For that, he's been marketed as one of the game's superstars, even though he isn't one yet. Zegras was on the cover of EA Sports' NHL 23 (usually reserved for NHL MVP-level players) and got invited to the NHL all-star Skills Challenge in 2022 without being an actual all-star.
At 23, he's an outstanding player who can get you 60-70 points and help you sell tickets. In the right circumstances, I'd take him on my team. I'm not here to grumpily shake my fist at the clouds and suggest that his skill plays aren't good for the game, the way John Tortorella did a few years ago.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INoMMJfIUTU[/embed]
Zegras does have the rep of being a hot dog. He can be vocal, emotional, and chippy and sometimes comes off like one of the guys from Letterkenny. All of that will fade with age and can be reined in by veteran teammates or a good coach. It will be intriguing to see what he can do on a team that is better than Anaheim.
Now, is Zegras a fit in Ottawa? Of course not. The Senators already have enough of the ingredients that Zegras adds.
People might say, "You can never have enough skill." But you can have too much soft skill. There's lots of room for soft skill on your roster, but if your skill players' collective commitment to defence and physical play add up to a team that's easy to play against, you're in trouble.
If the Ducks happened to lose their minds and wanted to take back some of that surplus soft skill in return for Zegras, like maybe Josh Norris, then perhaps there's a discussion to be had. The Sens' roster would still be out of balance, but they'd be a better team, swapping out like-for-like.
But even if Norris weren't a capital-G-Glaring injury concern, there's no way Anaheim would go for that.
The Ducks' GM is Pat Verbeek. As a player, Verbeek was a skilled fireball, the Brad Marchand of the 80s and 90s. So it's a safe bet he has a natural aversion to soft-skill. Like Senators' GM Steve Staios, Verbeek is probably looking to rebalance his roster.
I'm not saying the report of Ottawa's interest in Zegras is inaccurate, but it's important to remember there's often a strategy behind some of the reports that end up in the NHL news wheel. As examples, these kind of whispers won't hurt the Senators in their current negotiations with Shane Pinto. It might also be a simple shot across Zegras's bow.
Speaking of contracts, Zegras's current deal is reasonable at $5.75 million with two years left. Wait. Another young American star with two years left on his contract? Are the Senators really going to do that for the third straight year?
Across the board, it's a hard no. If the Sens are looking at Anaheim's trade chips, it would make a lot more sense for them to ask about goalie John Gibson.