Another option is trading for young stars, who need a fresh start and one of those could be the Anaheim Ducks' own, Trevor Zegras.
According to Michael DeRosa of The Hockey Writers, Zegras could be on the move with the latest addition of Cutter Gauthier.
The Ducks, could still keep him and remain part of the rebuilding core nevertheless, but the rumor mill still churns.
Zegras is a piece that could be used to push the rebuild forward ahead of time, and still being young he would fit the timeline. Zegras has a $5.75 Million, AAV contract that has two years of term left on it, leaving Zegras ultimately in Blackhawk's control.
Being 23, the team could afford to take a chance on Zegras and he could still be a part of the future plans as well, being younger than Philipp Kurashev.
Adding Trevor Zegras means the Blackhawks continue to build their center core, making it deeper, with Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev also capable of playing center, giving the team a lot of flexibility with the position.
This means, ideally you could interchange one of three players between the 1st and give the Blackhawks a decade's worth of play from Bedard, Kurashev, and Zegras to build around.
Of course, the high price tag may come higher than your usual depth center, but for the future it may be worth it.
Zegras is a proven points producer in the already terrible Anaheim Ducks system. Even with six goals this season before injury, Zegras is a consistent 20-goal scorer as evidenced in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 posting 23 goals in both seasons, yielding 46 goals total and 126 points in 156 games.
Zegras's goal average may have been around 17 or 18 due to a year of instability thanks to injuries, which would have still put him 3rd or 4th on the Blackhawks in scoring this season.
But when he returned, he slowly rebounded posting two goals and 8 points soon after. Considering he ended the year with a five-game points streak, with 6 points overall, he should be considered by Kyle Davidson and the team.
Source: Blackhawk Up 3 reasons the Blackhawks should pull off a blockbuster trade for Trevor Zegras
POLL | ||
17 MAI | 381 ANSWERS Journalist reveals a blockbuster trade is unfolding in Chicago Should the Blackhawks trade for Trevor Zegras? | ||
Yes | 221 | 58 % |
No | 160 | 42 % |
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