Post-Ducks crashout, how Trevor Zegras can recapture the 'magic' with the Flyers

VOORHEES, NJ -- Trevor Zegras owns a large-scale mentation of his EA Sports "NHL 23" cover, the 1 wherever he's crouched successful shorts and an Anaheim Ducks jersey, looking similar he's astir to play immoderate thoroughfare hockey against Team Canada's Sarah Nurse.

What does Zegras spot erstwhile helium looks astatine that screen today?

"The aforesaid guy."

Yet galore astir the NHL person wondered what happened to that mentation of Trevor Zegras.

The archetypal 3 seasons of Zegras' NHL vocation were brilliant. He tallied 139 points successful 180 games with the Ducks. He became the look of a procreation of young players who grew up filming themselves attempting instrumentality shots, scoring aggregate "Michigan" lacrosse-style goals.

His masterpiece was connected Dec. 7, 2021, erstwhile Zegras sent a "Michigan" ally-oop walk implicit the Buffalo Sabres nett to teammate Sonny Milano for a goal. High-school and assemblage players started to tag the 20-year-old connected societal media with their ain attempts astatine "The Zegras."

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Trevor Zegras breaks down his unbelievable alley-oop assist

Trevor Zegras joins The Point to interruption down his astonishing circus walk to acceptable up Sonny Milano's goal.

He was 1 of those players wherever the question wasn't if he'd go a star, but however brightly he'd shine. But his past 2 seasons successful Anaheim each but extinguished that star.

They were nightmarish, filled with injuries, disapproval of his antiaircraft game, conflicts with Ducks absorption and statistical decline: His 0.77 points-per-game mean implicit his archetypal 3 seasons plummeted to 0.53. They were besides filled with commercialized rumors, which Zegras said caused him "awful" intelligence anxiety, and yet a trade to the Philadelphia Flyers successful June.

"The feline hasn't liked his past mates of years. He has his doubters," Flyers manager Rick Tocchet said. "He's in-house now. He knows this is his sanctuary."

The determination to Philadelphia offers Zegras the reset he's needed. A accidental to play halfway aft the Ducks forced him to the wing. A accidental to vibe with different young stars similar Matvei Michkov. A accidental to "recapture immoderate of the magic that helium had successful his archetypal fewer seasons," arsenic Flyers GM Daniel Briere enactment it.

What does Zegras privation radical saying astir him aft his archetypal play successful Philadelphia?

"I privation them to spell from saying 'he's bully astatine hockey' to 'he's a hockey player,'" Zegras told ESPN past week.

"I deliberation determination are a batch of...