Flyers' Zegras gives fiery interview after scoring twice against his former team

Tuesday’s game between the Flyers and Ducks took place at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, which pulled double duty as a newfound sanctum for Zegras and an extremely hostile environment for Cutter Gauthier, a former Flyers prospect who forced his way to Anaheim in a separate trade in 2024.

Booed each time he touched the puck on Tuesday, Gauthier temporarily quieted the Flyers faithful in the first period when he scored his team-leading 20th goal of the season. But Zegras is the new hero in Philly, and he shifted the momentum back in the hosts’ favor shortly thereafter in the opening frame.

Signed through the end of the 2025-26 campaign at a $5.75 million cap hit, Zegras has played at a point-per-game pace over his first half-season in Philadelphia. The Bedford, N.Y. product has 17 goals and 24 assists through 41 games to begin his Flyers tenure, and will almost certainly command a huge raise as a restricted free agent this coming offseason.

The Ducks originally drafted Zegras with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. After starring a Boston University in the 2019-20 season, Zegras turned pro with the Ducks in 2020 and spent his first five NHL seasons in Orange County, sharing the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 23 video game with Sarah Nurse along the way.

In 309 career NHL games over parts of six seasons with the Ducks and Flyers, Zegras has collected 84 goals, 227 points, and 235 penalty minutes. His play has been instrumental in helping the Flyers occupy a Metropolitan Division playoff spot through the first half of the 2025-26 season.