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The Trevor Zegras Effect on the Flyers, Contract Extension Talk, and Why We Now Love the Shootout
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Back on June 23rd, Flyers General Manager Daniel Brière traded for Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras by sending forward Ryan Poehling and two draft picks to the opposite coast. That included a 2025 second-round pick (45th overall), and a 2026 fourth-round pick, with the hope that a change of scenery for the skilled forward would not only relaunch his career, but also bring high-end skill and talent to the Flyers.
As of now, small sample size notwithstanding, that seems to have worked beautifully. Zegras leads the Flyers with 15 points (four goals and 11 assists) and has kicked the power play up several notches after years of near-bottom marks. The Flyers’ power play is actually ranked 14th in the NHL at 20.9% and Zegras has been a HUGE part of the solution.
Whenever he’s on the ice you get the feeling something good could happen at any moment, maybe something you have never seen from a Flyers player. His stick and puck skills are off the charts insane, as is his compete level, willingness to defend, and have his teammates’ backs. That’s all very evident.
If there’s a line of people ready to admit the perception they had of Zegras was wrong, I’d be at the front of that line. Not only has Zegras done all of the above, he has also helped make the Flyers the top shootout team in the NHL. They’re 3-0 in shootouts this season and those three extra points in the standings are the difference between being a Wild Card Team right now and being tied for last place in the Eastern Conference. That includes overcoming a two-goal deficit against the Islanders and then a 3-2 deficit to ultimately force OT and get the game to a shootout. It includes hanging in against the Penguins and a series of disallowed goals. And it includes beating the then-9-3 Montreal Canadiens in the shootout this week.
Those are three points that they seemingly would not have earned in the past, and they’re a very big deal, with Zegras front and center.
This all is leaving one very large question to answer. Should the Flyers extend his contract now? Or wait for a larger sample size? Zegras is in the final season of a three-year contract with an average annual value of $5.75 Million. He will be a restricted free agent July 1st. With the NHL’s salary cap on the rise, what does a new deal look like? We’re seeing RFA players take bridge deals so that they can reassess the contract market in 3-4 years, maximize a potential next deal in the prime of their career, and earn a substantial raise in the present.
The question is how far the Flyers have to go, to see enough that they’re comfortable committing to a longer deal. My answer is real soon, because the price tag only goes up the longer you wait.
A Hat Trick of Flyers Thoughts
1) Dan Vladar has been very stabilizing in goal, not only with his game performances but his shootout prowess has been excellent as well. In the Canadiens game, I thought he looked slightly off when he allowed four goals on 20 shots while having multiple puck handling adventures. Yet, when it came to OT and the shootout, all of that shakiness was gone and he looked confident, BIG and very refined. A very good trait for a goalie is to reset mentally and only worry about what’s next, not what has already happened. In the middle of a game that’s easier said than done. Vladar pulled it off beautifully in the win over the Habs.
2) Bobby Brink figured it out. Tim Saunders on the radio call a few weeks back said “Bobby Brink realized he has to be the hardest working player on the ice.” No truer words have been spoken by Tim. When Brink works his ass off like he has this season, combined with now being two years removed from a hip issue and surgery that plagued his skating, he looks like the player the Flyers thought he could be when he was taken in the 2nd round in the 2019 Draft.
3) Who plays with who??? With Tyson Foerster out of the lineup at the moment, Flyers Head Coach Rick Tocchet is forced to try and find good combinations of his forward lines while not having the reliability of the Foerster/Cates/Brink line. I am still not sure who should center Matvei Michkov to maximize his skillset and that is a very important element. How the puzzle pieces fit to make the team as good as it can be may take some time.
Jason Myrtetus is a Philadelphia-based broadcaster and host, best known for his work with the Philadelphia Flyers since 2008. He serves as a radio pregame, intermission, and postgame host and is the voice behind the Flyers Daily and Hockey & Hounds podcasts. A passionate hockey enthusiast, Myrtetus played organized hockey from age 5 to 50, starting as a goalie and later coaching youth teams. His career began in rock radio before transitioning to sports, including roles at WIP, WYSP, and 97.5 The Fanatic, where he worked as Assistant Program Director, producer, and co-host. Diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in December 2024, Myrtetus has openly shared his battle, drawing on his hockey-rooted resilience to face treatment. A father of three and husband to Angela, he remains a vital part of the Flyers’ broadcast community.