The Flyers traded 26-year-old center Ryan Poehling to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday in exchange for 24-year-old center/winger Trevor Zegras. The Flyers also included two Draft picks: a second-round pick (45th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-round selection in 2026.
Zegras is one of the NHL’s most skilled and flashiest players. However, he’s coming off back-to-back down seasons marred by injury and reduced production. He is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent next summer. Zegras will enter the 2025-26 season on the final year of a three-season, $5.75 million average annual value (AAV) bridge deal signed with Anaheim in 2023. In 2024-25, Zegras posted 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) in 57 game
]Zegras had a seesaw working relationship with now-former Ducks head coach Greg Cronin. The hard-nosed coach got on the player frequently for defensive awareness issues and excessive risk-taking. Subsequently, they ended up in a better place and tried to find a middle ground.
This past season, Zegras underwent surgery to repair a torn knee meniscus sustained on December 4. He missed 24 games. Meanwhile, the Ducks went 8-13-3.
Poehling has been a fourth-line forward for most of his NHL career despite being a first-round pick by Montreal in 2017. However, he came on like gangbusters in the latter part of 2024-25 after being moved up in the lineup. He found success centering Jakob Pelletier and Owen Tippett on a speedy line with two big-framed (Poehling and Tippett) forwards. Poehling has one season remaining on his current contract ($1.9 million AAV) and is an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Even with trading the 45th overall pick, the Flyers still have six picks within the top 48 of the 2025 Draft.
I don’t love Zegras as a player but at that price I’ll take him.
Good acquisition
like the swing, replacing the bottom Center is much easier, plus the Flyers internally already have candidates. Funny Hockey Buzz, all comments on Flyers thread are from other teams. They intentionally blew that thing up.
There is almost no one there it’s dead.
Like this trade. Even if he has one of his “down” years, we did not give up much for him. If the deal hits and he plays well with a talented forward, then we struck gold.
I still want a center at #6.
I have been banned 3 times now on Hockeybuzz. The first time was for saying Torts deserved to be fired, the second time was for saying I hate the Tocchet hiring, and the third time, a poster called me a woman, and I said I wasn’t, but Ek’s spelling and grammer is horrendous, and that’s how I missed the period. None should have been bannings, and I am done wasting my time there. It’s almost as if he blames Flyers fans for Bill leaving.
Love this trade for Zegras…good job Danny.
Welcome to HHS
Thanks Mike
thanks.
I got a 3 month ban for nothing, I see now the Vancouver ref has asked EK what’s going on.
I got a month for asking Ek if he banned everyone while the remaining three posters were commenting how dead it was there. That place is brutal now.
Not sure what’s going on here a hhs. I keep losing my comments. I’ve been trying to comment on Trevor Nuefield’s blog, it says log in to comment, I log in, go back to comment and it says I’m logged out. Can someone explain what’s happening.
We’re working on the frequent log-out issue. I have it as well. FZP Digital (our developers) are aware of the problem. With direct comments on the blog, comments have to be approved (mostly to filter out spam), and Mike Augello and I approve the comments. The Forums allow for immediate posting but have the logout issue on mobile devices. The blogs and podcasts themselves are functioning properly.
It’s important to note the Flyers also gave up $3.85M in cap space on this deal. I like the deal but that’s worth mentioning. That puts them at a bit over $15M to get York signed and a UFA goalie (Allen?) and a UFA Top 4 Dman.
Now the Flyers have 2 guys that are Michigan threats! Maybe TZ and MM can Michigan their way down the ice and score with….. yep…. a Michigan. 🙂
Hey Bill. Do you see TZ as a center or winger for this lineup?
Bon4141, the Flyers hope to put Zegras at center as their first preference. Ultimately, though, it will Tocchet’s call.
Great move!
This place is jumping today! Great some of the kinks are getting worked out. Yeah that other site became too overbearing with the bans. Seems many have moved here.
24 hours later I’m still juiced about this trade. If he returns to his old form (when he was playing center) the Flyers made out. If he returns to his old form and then grows, the Flyers made out great! It’s no risk since he only has one year left on his deal.
PUMPED to get Zegras in Orange & Black. Imagine him on a line with Konecny & Michkov?!?!?