The Philadelphia Flyers are impressively 9-5-3 thanks in large part to offseason trade addition Trevor Zegras, and the newcomer is playing so well that he is putting himself into real consideration for a roster spot on Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Zegras, 24, currently leads the Flyers in scoring with his six goals, 13 assists, and 19 points in just 17 games, and it has become clear, as we approach the quarter-way mark of the 2025-26 season, that the team's offense runs entirely though him.

But, it is not just Zegras's own performance that puts him in the conversation for the Winter Olympics.

On Saturday, it was announced that Zegras's friend and old U.S. National Team Development Program teammate Jack Hughes, who played for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off this past winter, would miss approximately two months after undergoing surgery to repair a finger cut sustained at a team dinner.

And, while that story seems impossible, it is very real, and it means changes are coming for Team USA's decision-makers.

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It should be noted that New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald and New York Rangers GM Chris Drury are on Team USA's staff, and those two, being in the Metropolitan Division, will have as much film and intel on Zegras as anyone.

Because the Olympic roster is expected to be announced in early January, it is well within the realm of possibility that Hughes is not ready and healthy in time to be up for consideration, on top of being rusty from all the time off.

Plus, from a stylistic perspective, Zegras and Hughes think and play the game very similarly, and we are finally starting to see that skill manifest in raw stats for Zegras after a promising start and disappointing end to his Anaheim Ducks career.

At the time of this writing, and among all NHL forwards with at least 200 minutes played at 5-on-5 this season, Zegras's on-ice expected goals-for percentage of 55.09% ranks 60th, placing him right there with fellow Americans (and some Team USA staples) like Matt Boldy (54th), J.T. Miller (55th), Clayton Keller (58th), and Hughes himself (102nd), according to Natural Stat Trick.

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Fellow Flyers stars Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim have not been all that to start this season, so it would not at all be unfair to say that Zegras could be the Flyers' best shot at having some North American representation in Milan this winter.

There is still plenty of time between now and January for Zegras to either heat up further or cool off, but anyone paying enough attention to the Flyers knows that Zegras has been the one driving the bus and is fully worthy of the opportunity to represent his nation at the 2026 Winter Olympics.