Did Ducks Make Right Decision With Zegras?
The Anaheim Ducks announced on Monday afternoon that they would be sending down Trevor Zegras to the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League, a move which caught many by surprise considering that Zegras was coming off of a two-assist performance against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday night. Even more surprising, however, was the degree to which the Ducks were transparent about their decision-making process, and the big picture development schedule that they have for Zegras.
For starters, general manager Bob Murray and the Ducks clearly understand just how important Anaheim’s top pick from the 2019 Draft is to the fanbase. With the way the season has gone and the discontent that has bubbled up within a significant portion of the faithful, sending down a crowd favorite without any kind of explanation surely would not have gone over well. The level of detail in Murray’s message goes beyond avoiding pushback, though. He lays out exactly what the plan is, what the long term implications are, as well as when fans can expect Zegras to be back in a Ducks uniform. For all of that, Murray and the organization deserve plenty of credit.
Of course, evaluating the decision does not simply stop at how it was communicated. The Ducks made it very clear that they see Zegras as a center long term, and given how he has played at the NHL level so far (as a winger), that analysis would appear correct. Take, for example, his latest game against Arizona. Both of his assists came off of either driving to the middle of the ice/behind the net, or working his way to that area. There is a clear proclivity in his game to find the middle.
Zegras is the kind of player who thrives with the additional space that playing center can afford him. Part of what makes him such a threat from that high-leverage region of the ice is that his processing speed is so high. He often sees lanes develop before the opposition does, and sometimes even before his linemates do. As a winger in a Ducks uniform, the reduced amount of time and space the position brings looked like an awkward fit at times.
Yet even despite those positional limitations, Zegras has still found ways to chip in offensively. Now, it’s time to fully unleash the beast. So why not let him learn on the fly at the NHL level? Well, the issue there is that Zegras hasn’t lined up at center since March 6th, 2020, when he was donning the red and white of Boston University. He torched the World Juniors last winter as a winger. The jump from a collegiate center to an NHL one is a massive jump, even for someone without the extended lay-off that Zegras has had at the position. The Ducks have chosen to slow play the re-adjustment period by letting him go down to the Gulls to make mistakes and learn from said mistakes in an environment with less pressure. Yes, the Ducks’ playoff hopes are long gone, but there is still a pressure to donning an NHL sweater that simply is not present at the AHL level. Zegras has the kind of mobility and awareness to be an effective center without the puck; it’s simply a matter of him getting the reps in.
The only flaw in the Ducks’ decision: if they see him as a center long term, then why did they not start him at center from the very beginning of the season? Sure, he played on the wing at the WJC, and maybe it would have been too much, too soon, but this kind of back and forth between the NHL and AHL could have been avoided for him. Anaheim has also made it no secret that there is a significant financial consideration to Zegras’s utilization this season, as the team broadcast let it be know last week that the reason he was scratched for two consecutive games was so that the Ducks could avoid having him accrue a year of service. That way, they can delay his unrestricted free agency, putting off a potentially big pay-day by a year.
Such a consideration is completely fair, especially in a post-pandemic world reeling from lost revenue, but all of this hand-wringing and explaining could have been avoided if they had started him at center in the AHL, and then called him up to Anaheim at a point where hitting the 27 games needed to accrue a year of service would have been impossible. It’s also possible that the franchise was not quite sure whether or not he could make the move back to center, and that his NHL stint convinced them he could do it. Head coach Dallas Eakins has said that he’s been impressed by Zegras’s work along the boards, indicating that there is some degree of satisfaction internally with his defensive game.
All in all, the Ducks have a plan for Zegras, and even if there may be quibbles with the execution, the overall conclusion is correct. Zegras will provide the most value down the middle. He will have an opportunity to get his center feet back underneath him with the Gulls, and should be back in a Ducks uniform before the end of the season, according to the team. Ultimately, it’s what’s best for Zegras, it’s what’s best for the Ducks, and it marks the beginning of what could be an epic ride with the electrifying center terrorizing the NHL for years to come.