This time last year, Trevor Zegras stood at a career crossroads.

He was years removed from his days as one of the best-known young stars in all of hockey. The team that drafted him in the top-10 in 2019 had suddenly started treating him the way Andy in Toy Story treated Woody after getting his new Buzz Lightyear toy, and stopped even using him at his preferred position at center. It all culminated in a sell-low trade to the Flyers, in which GM Daniel Briere pried Zegras away from the Ducks for the low cost of a second-round pick and bottom-six center Ryan Poehling. It was an exciting upside play, sure, but how valuable could Zegras really be if his former club was willing to trade him away for that package?

As it turned out, pretty darn valuable.

Now, Zegras is back. In Philadelphia, Zegras proved himself to a more mature, more complete player than he was in Anaheim, while also making a very strong case that the Ducks had misjudged him both as a player and a person. By the end of the season, he not only was back at center, helping lead his new club to an unlikely playoff berth — he was also quietly (or not so quietly, given his huge personality) emerging as a team leader, taking younger players under his wing off the ice and stepping up in big moments on it.

Now, with a massive $36.5 million contract signed over the summer, Zegras’ focus must turn to proving that 2025-26 was no fluke, but the new normal for him as he enters the back half of his 20s. Because as impressive as his turnaround was last season, it won’t get any easier for Zegras moving forward. Now, not only will he be expected to solidify his gains from 2025-26, he’ll likely be tasked with doing so in the most demanding role for an NHL forward: first-line center.

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