The Anaheim Ducks will host the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday (Jan. 31) night in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break. The Ducks sit four points ahead of the Sharks in the overall standings while having one game in hand. The only team with a poorer points percentage than the Ducks (.367) and Sharks (.320) is the Chicago Blackhawks (.300).
There is plenty of news to pore over concerning the Ducks, despite a lightly-scheduled week in the NHL. There has been more trade speculation surrounding key forwards Trevor Zegras and Adam Henrique. We also have some positive injury news to address in the latest News and Rumors roundup.
Zegras Becomes a Popular Topic of Discussion
Zegras has been the subject of trade rumors since he missed the majority of training camp due to a contract holdout. The 22-year-old forward eventually agreed to a three-year deal that carries an average annual value (AAV) of $5.75 million. With the majority of teams on extended breaks due to bye weeks coinciding with the NHL All-Star Weekend festivities, several writers opened up mailbag discussions. It appears as though many fans are interested to know if Zegras would be a fit for their teams.
Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic don’t see the Minnesota Wild getting involved in a potential Zegras sweepstakes: “Highly doubtful. There hasn’t been a sense that the Wild have any interest in Zegras, and regardless, how are they supposed to afford his $5.75 million AAV for the next two years?” (from ‘Time for the Wild to tank? Will it be an active trade deadline? Interest in Zegras? Ask Russo and Smith,’ The Athletic, Jan. 30, 2024). The Wild don’t have much wiggle room due to their salary cap situation, which includes more than $14.7 million in dead cap space for the 2024-25 campaign because of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.
Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports said he hasn’t “heard anything specifically linking the [Philadelphia] Flyers to Zegras, but during his interview with PHLY on Monday, president of hockey operations Keith Jones did strongly imply that the organization is now prioritizing the center position over defenseman in the wake of the Jamie Drysdale trade.” (from ‘Flyers mailbag: Trevor Zegras, Chuck Fletcher, and the trade deadline,’ PHLY Flyers, Jan. 26, 2024). Zegras has spent most of the 2023-24 season on the wing but still has upside as a top-six middleman. O’Connor thinks the Flyers could look into acquiring Zegras,…
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