January 12th, 2024
Alex Rickman
With Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras now mentioned as a potential trade piece, many Canucks fans have been wondering if the polarizing American forward could be on Vancouver’s radar. The Canucks, seemingly prepared to load up for a playoff run this year, have been looking to add another forward to their top six, so a move for a player of Zegras’s calibre wouldn’t be too hard to see. However, would Zegras himself make sense, or should the Canucks steer clear of him and set their sights on another target? Let’s take a look into the potential positives and negatives of a Zegras trade for Vancouver, and see whether or not the Canucks would be well advised to add the 22-year-old to their ranks.
Zegras is undeniably one of the most skilled players in the NHL. Having scored some incredible goals, including pulling off the Michigan on multiple occasions, as well as using his skill to create chances for teammates, Zegras has the ability to make incredible plays and is not afraid to use it. While the Canucks are certainly not lacking in skilled playmakers, with Elias Pettersson, Nils Höglander, and Quinn Hughes being among some of the league's most skilled players. However, the additional playmaking and offensive firepower that Zegras could add may push the Canucks already elite forward core over the top, becoming a nightmare for opposing defences. However, while the positives here do sound great, Zegras would not come without his fair share of red flags that the Canucks front office will need to carefully consider before bringing Zegras up north.
The first concern that Zegras brings up would be his performances so far this season. After missing a sizeable chunk of training camp while negotiating a new contract with the Ducks, Zegras signed a 3-year, $5.57 million AAV contract, which so far he has failed to live up to. Injuries have restricted Zegras to playing in a mere 20 games out of the Ducks' 41 games this season, in which he has posted a rather disappointing 7 points, in addition to a +/- of -5. While some of this could be blamed on his struggles to stay healthy, his lack of a full training camp, or his struggles to adapt to the system of Head Coach Greg Cronin, it simply isn’t good enough for a player being paid like Zegras who is expected to be among the Ducks top players to be performing like this. Unless the Canucks are certain Zegras will be able to break out of his funk in Vancouver, this should be considered at least a reason to be careful should the Canucks pursue him.
Zegras’s poor defensive play should also serve as a reason against giving up top assets to bring him to Vancouver. Zegras’ -5 this season is far from out of character for his career so far. Zegras is -44 for his career and has posted a +/- worse than -20 in both of his full NHL seasons to date. Zegras has also successfully proven that turnovers aren’t just for bakeries, turning the puck over 170 times in his 200 NHL appearances. While previous Canucks regimes may have been able to look past this and focus on the offence Zegras can provide, since Rick Tocchet came to town, the team's philosophy has changed. Tocchet has shown he isn’t afraid to bench or reduce the minutes of talented offensive players if they can’t provide the defensive coverage and forechecking demanded of the head coach, as Andrei Kuzmenko has learned all too well. Kuzmenko was +9 last season and holds an even +/- at the time of writing, and still has been healthy scratched on several occasions for not forechecking well enough. If Kuzmenko has drawn this much ire from Tocchet, it’s hard to imagine how he would respond to the play of Zegras, who is objectively a bigger defensive liability than Kuzmenko.
One of the biggest questions surrounding a potential Zegras trade for any team is what it would cost an acquiring team to land him. Despite Zegras’s down year and seemingly poor fit with the Ducks' style of play, he is still a very young player and has shown that he has the potential to be a star in the league, meaning he won’t likely be acquired for cheap. The Ducks would likely be seeking to bring back several top draft picks and prospects in order to ship Zegras out, and one has to wonder whether or not the Canucks would be able to afford this price for a player with as many potential red flags as Zegras has shown. Giving up any of the likes of Aatu Räty, Tom Willander, Nils Höglander, or any of the Canucks few young assets for a player like Zegras who likely would not fit the goal for the team that Rick Tocchet is pursuing would be a very bold risk to take, especially if any of them were to be going to a division rival alongside even more future assets for a promising young Anaheim team.
With all of the other potential red flags at play, unless Zegras were to be available for an incredibly low cost, it’s hard to find a way to justify the Canucks pursuing him. A player's fit always has to be considered when discussing a potential trade, and Zegras just fails to fit the needs of the Vancouver Canucks. While his flash and skill are certainly impressive, it would be hard to make a logical trade to bring him to Vancouver. With the Canucks not having the league’s strongest prospect pool by any means, and playing the best hockey we’ve seen them play in years by implementing a philosophy that goes entirely against the way Zegras plays, it’s best that the Canucks steer clear for now and target players who will fit the team's system better.