NHL: Vegas Golden Knights at Anaheim Ducks - Source: Imagn — Insider believes Ducks GM Pat Verbeek not a 'believer' in $17.25M star (image credit: IMAGN)

NHL trade rumors: Insider believes Ducks GM Pat Verbeek not a 'believer' in $17.25M star

Modified Nov 28, 2024 15:29 GMT

Trevor Zegras' name has been part of trade talks this year with the Anaheim Ducks. Zegras and the Ducks have not gotten off to the start they envisioned and it could lead to the end of their time together. The $17.25 million star could land on another team soon if things don't change.

Part of this depends on Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek. Zegras is just 23 years old, so he has more years in front of him than behind. It comes down to whether or not the team believes he can be something good, but one hockey insider is not sure if they do.

Frank Seravelli of Daily Faceoff said that this is already beginning to feel like a long year for Zegras.

"He’s collected just a handful of points so far, though he’s shown a bit of life with five points in his past five games," Seravelli wrote. "It’s a far cry from the 65-point player we saw in 2022-23 who was oozing passion for the game and was one of the brightest young stars, on the cover of a video game.

"GM Pat Verbeek doesn’t seem to be a believer in the player and the player could certainly use a change of scenery. He’s played like a shell of his former self."

Among potential trade candidates, Seravelli ranked Zegras 10th to start the year.

Anaheim Ducks players discuss getting back into the win column

The Anaheim Ducks got a much-needed 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, pushing their record to 9-9-3 for the season. The team got scoring efforts from Trevor Zegras, perhaps postponing any trade talks, as well as Cutter Gauthier and Alex Killorn.

Three goals came after forcing a turnover in the Kraken defensive zone.

“I think that says it all," Seattle forward Oliver Bjorkstrand said after the game, via NHL.com. "We’ve just got to bear down, make the right plays, get it out. I can’t go through the plays and what the mistakes were, but if we turn it over, just find a way to get over the blue or make a better play depending on the situation.”

The Ducks remain in seventh place in the Pacific Division, but at least for a night, things went well and they snapped a two-game losing streak.