Trevor Zegras stuck in limbo as Ducks slow-play contract negotiations
After watching teammate Troy Terry ink a new seven-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks, Trevor Zegras is hopeful his time is coming any day now.
The 22-year-old former top-10 picks is a restricted free agent who just finished his entry-level deal that paid him $925,000 per year, and he’s likely due a decent pay raise after posting back-to-back 23-goal, 60-point seasons — one that he’s hopeful will happen before the Ducks begin training camp in September.
"Hopefully we get something done soon," Zegras said, via NHL.com. "I do miss California and my teammates, so it would be nice to get back there. … It's kind of out of my control. Obviously, this is why you have people in place to handle this type of stuff.”
Anaheim’s nonchalance toward getting Zegras locked up long-term is quite puzzling.
Zegras led the Ducks in scoring last season, just one year after finishing second in the Calder Trophy voting two years ago. He’s a highly skilled playmaking center who’s already the Ducks' top offensive player before turning 23 — a commodity most teams are willing to pay a premium for.
Perhaps Anaheim knows the only bullet in his chamber is the threat of a holdout with training camp not too far off. The team doesn’t seem too concerned about an offer sheet because it has the funds to match any offer Zegras could get elsewhere. (The Ducks have $20 million in cap space, per CapFriendly.)
Additionally, teams likely aren’t willing to part with the draft capital it would take to pry Zegras away from Anaheim via an offer sheet, which would include multiple first-round picks, leaving Zegras in limbo until general manager Pat Verbeek picks up the phone.
"I feel like it's all kind of up in the air," Zegras added. "Obviously, I'd love to get back to play as my teammates get back but that's kind of out of my control at the moment. I've got a pretty good setup here in terms of working out and skating. Wherever we are with the contract, I know I'll be doing good stuff to help me get ready for the season."
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