‘He‘s the best player of all-time’: Zegras happy to see Quinn Hughes less after trade to Flyers

This season looks a whole lot different for Trevor Zegras. After being dealt from the Anaheim Ducks to the Philadelphia Flyers in early June, he’s excited for a fresh start in a new Conference for more than one reason.

In a piece Tuesday from ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Zegras spoke in depth about what went wrong in Anaheim, what’s next for him with his new team, and his friendship with the Hughes brothers. Gearing up to make his Flyers debut, he shared he’s happy to be in a new division now to be farther away from Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes:

Zegras said he’s happy to be in the same division with Jack and Luke Hughes, because it means he’s no longer in the same division as their brother.

“I never want to play Quinn ever again. He’s the best hockey player of all-time,” he said.

Last season, the Ducks faced off against the Vancouver Canucks four times. Now a whole Conference apart, Zegras and the Flyers will only meet Quinn Hughes and the Canucks twice – both times in late December.

Zegras only has one goal in his last seven games against the Canucks, and the Quinn Hughes-led blue line is a big factor in shutting him down. Consistently ranked as one of the league’s top-two defencemen in offseason lists, it’s easy to see why Hughes would be a frustrating player to face as a forward. Add that to his over a point-per-game totals over the last two years, and he makes for a real menace all across the ice.

In Philadelphia, Zegras is working under former Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, who he refers to as ‘Taco,’ a nickname he apparently stole from the Hughes brothers. He shares that he got it after spending the summer with the trio of brothers, including lots of time out on the golf course, offering the following assessment:

“I like Jack’s game because he is the quickest, fastest golfer player I have ever seen in my entire life. He will have a full conversation with you while he’s putting the tee in the ground, and then he’ll swing quick and then finish his conversation. Whereas Quinn is the exact opposite. He’ll take 10 practice swings and then hit one.”

While Zegras is a little further away from Quinn now, he’s primed to face off more against Jack and Luke, the latter having just signed a seven-year extension with the New Jersey Devils. But for now, it seems like that’s a tradeoff he’ll gladly take.