It’s always been about timing for Trevor Zegras.
The right time to become a Flyer. The right time to play center. And now it was the right time to lock him in.
Late on Wednesday, the Flyers inked Zegras to a four-year, $36.5 million extension with an annual average value of $9.125 million. He will be an unrestricted free agent when the contract expires on July 1, 2030, and according to a league source, Years 3 and 4 come with a limited no-trade clause.
“We’re thrilled to have Trevor committed to our organization for the next four years,” general manager Danny Brière said in the press release.
“The growth he showed this past season, proving that he is the skilled player he entered the league as, reinforced our belief that he will be an impact player for the Flyers for the years to come. He’s the type of player who can help take our team to the next level, and we’re excited to continue building alongside him.”
Zegras became a restricted free agent on July 1 and filed for salary arbitration on July 5, two days after the Flyers tendered a five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Leo Carlsson that the Anaheim Ducks matched. The deal avoids an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for next Wednesday and gives him the highest AAV on the Flyers.
“Personally, I would love that,” Zegras said of staying in Philly at his end-of-season media availability on May 12. “I would love to be here for a long time. … I love the fans. I love the group that we have, and that would be something I’m excited about.”
Acquired last June, on the heels of two tough, injury-plagued seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, Zegras refound his love for the game in Philly. He posted career highs in goals (26), power-play goals (10), points (67), power-play points (23), and shooting percentage (15.6%) in 81 regular-season games, missing only the inconsequential last game of the season to rest for the playoffs.
After tallying six goals and 18 points during the Flyers’ post-Olympic push — trailing just Matvei Michkov and Noah Cates — he led the team in postseason scoring with six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 games. Zegras was one of several Flyers making their postseason debuts.
But this season wasn’t just about his point total, even if it was higher than his rookie — he was runner-up for the Calder Trophy — and sophomore seasons. It was about a former first-round pick, a big personality, and a once-rising star in the NHL, rediscovering his love of the game.
“It was big,” he said when asked if it was reaffirming to him. “For me, having that excitement about the game was great. To find that passion for winning and success as a team was big. And I think I lost a little bit of that drive and passion to win and be a really good team, and we definitely had, in my opinion, a great, successful season.”
Part of that rejuvenation for the 25-year-old New York native came from his connection with his teammates, like his old friends, Jamie Drysdale, whom he played with in Anaheim, Cam York, his former teammate on the U.S. National Development Team and at World Juniors, and veteran Christian Dvorak, whom he met through Dvorak’s former Montreal Canadiens teammate, Cole Caufield. And a lot of it came from his connection to coach Rick Tocchet, whom he affectionately nicknamed “Taco” in training camp.
“Obviously, Tocc is a great guy, to begin with. … He’s a good guy to talk to,” Zegras said the day after he and Tocchet were spotted having a heated exchange in Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes. “The one thing I have a ton of respect for is [that] he’ll get in your face and tell you stuff, but then he won’t ever like sit you down for shifts at a time.
“He puts you right back on the ice. Whether or not it puts fire in you, or fuel, or is teaching you something, he always gives you that chance to go let you prove yourself the next shift, which I love.”
Tocchet echoed the sentiment that day, after doing it all season long. He called him a “very coachable kid” after mentioning in training camp that he challenged him to approach the game not “for clicks on social media” but to win hockey games. “That’s what he wants,” Tocchet said, and it showed whether he played at center or wing.
But that’s the million-dollar question heading into the 2026-27 season: Do the Flyers view Zegras as a center or a winger? The consensus around the league is that the AAV he received is typically doled out to a center. As noted, Tyson Foerster recently signed an eight-year contract extension with the Flyers for an AAV of $7.1 million.
Zegras came to Philly excited for the opportunity to return to his natural center position after two years of being forced to the wing by former Ducks coach Greg Cronin. Management was hopeful he could be the answer for their No. 1 center spot, but for the majority of the season, he played on Dvorak’s wing.
He officially shifted back to the middle after the trade deadline and put up 17 points in 20 games — 12 at even strength with a plus-six rating. The only issue is his face-offs, which sat at 34.1% overall in the regular season, 35.1% across the final 20 games, and 44% in the postseason.
“I liked playing in the middle down the stretch, just because there’s a little bit more space and you can kind of pick and choose where you want to go a little bit more,” he said.
“I think playing center in the playoffs was a good experience for me, just in terms of how different it was, how hard battles are, and all that type of stuff. So that was good.”
The Flyers still have three restricted free agents to sign in Drysdale, forward Nikita Grebenkin, and defenseman Hunter McDonald. Drysdale has a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Monday. Grebenkin was not eligible for salary arbitration, and McDonald did not file by the deadline.