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Trevor Zegras is the Type of Move that Howie Roseman Would Make
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Twitter user @YoRod215 asked us to explain the Flyers’ Trevor Zegras trade in NFL terms:
Jokes aside, Trevor Zegras and Mekhi Becton is a great comparison. It could be the first time in the history of the world that these two players have been compared or even mentioned in the same sentence, but it makes a ton of sense if you think about. Becton was a first round draft pick, selection #11 by the New York Jets back in 2020. He struggled on a shitty team, hit a wall during his mid-twenties, and then Howie Roseman threw him a one-year, prove-it deal to come play for the Eagles instead. Becton did well with the change of scenery, reset his career, and accepted moving inside, from tackle to guard. Then he went on to have a fantastic year as the Birds won the Super Bowl, which he parlayed into a two-year, $20 million contract with the Chargers.
Zegras was taken 9th overall in the 2019 draft, to the Anaheim Ducks, so another shitty team. He signed his ELC in March of 2020 and made his NHL debut in February of 2021, put together seasons of 61 and 65 points, then fell off hard due to injury, hit Becton’s mid-20s wall, and never got back to the form he showed early in his career. Now he comes to Philadelphia via trade, but similarly there’s a one-year window where the Flyers can find out if a high draft pick can reach new heights with a change of scenery. You just hope the team has someone half as good as Jeff Stoutland on Rick Tocchet’s staff.
This Danny Briere deal is the equivalent of any number of deals Howie Roseman has done over the years. Becton, Jahan Dotson, now Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche, to a certain extent. But while Howie constantly mines for buy-low deals while maintaining a Super Bowl contender, Briere’s timeline and cap flexibility warrants assertive experimentation. Zegras only has one year remaining at $5.7 million before becoming a restricted free agent. This is going to be another Flyers rebuilding year, but one that allows for short-term trial periods that serve the dual purpose of on-ice reclamation for players and apathy busting for fans. You kick the tires on a low-risk, high-reward skill guy while giving up a couple of your stockpiled draft picks and a fourth line center who was on an expiring contract. It was well worth the price to take on a player like Zegras and give him a chance, and if it works out and he stays healthy, extend him. If it doesn’t work out, you’re not on the hook for anything beyond 2026. That’s the beauty of prove-it deals. They’re binary. The players either prove it or they don’t. It’s like Yoda once said – “Prove or don’t prove. There is no try.“
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com