What can be done about Trevor Zegras

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor 

Trevor Zegras shook off some early jitters and a mid-season malaise during his first year with the Philadelphia Flyers, eventually posting career highs in goals (26), points (67), power-play scores (10) and equaled a career best with 5 game-winning strikes while shuttling back-and-forth between wing and center.

A fresh start and 10 games’ worth of playoff pressure was apparently what the Boston University product needed, as he told the media during the players’ break-up day on May 12: “Yeah, it was big. For me, having that excitement about the game was great, to find that passion for winning and success as a team was big.”

“I think I had lost a little bit of that,” he added.

Zegras was one of 7 regulars who finished the season 25 years old or younger. One message that was repeated by players, coaches and front office personnel was the advantage of having so many young, close-knit teammates working through the same learning curve.

“We had a close team. It made coming to the rink every day a lot of fun and enjoyable and I think when you enjoy what you’re doing you’re going to find success and that’s kinda what we had as a team this year,” he noted.

That said, if he truly values the atmosphere in Philadelphia and valued his experience in a higher-pressure but youth-friendly locker room compared to Anaheim, his seventh NHL campaign and second here should be locked in on improving his numbers with more consistency.

Of course, there are two concurrent methods to accomplish this: personal improvement as well as more consistent line pairings and better defined roles initiated by the coaching staff. 

Zegras put together two lengthy point streaks in the regular season: a 9-gamer from Dec. 9 through Dec. 23 (5G, 6A) and a 7-gamer from March 21 through Apr. 2 (1G, 6A). He also collected 15 points over the final 13 contests. 

But the start to his first Flyers’ season was tentative, with just 5 helpers in the club’s first 6 games. It took a near-career threatening incident on Oct. 23 in Ottawa when Sens forward Tim Stutzle came within inches of slashing his exposed wrist, before things kicked into gear.

After that, the first flash of brilliance arrived as he connected for 14 points (6G, 8A) in his next 10 outings. Then, a pit that lasted pretty much for two months followed by the refresh offered after the Olympics and the infusion of fresh offense from key prospects.

True Stats Behind the Snipers

While being shuttled back and forth at will between wing and center, Zegras totaled a career high 26 goals on 167 shots on goal for a 15.6% shooting percentage – second only to Travis Konecny (16.1%) among Flyers who played close to a full season.

Even if that doesn’t sound impressive, he’s in rare company. Here’s a list of the players who scored at least 25 goals for Flyers over the last decade in a full, uninterrupted season, their total SOG and shooting percentages:

2016-17: Wayne Simmonds 31G/224SOG/13.8%

               Brayden Schenn 25G/178SOG/14.0%

2017-18: Claude Giroux 34G/193SOG/17.6%

 

2018-19: Sean Couturier 33G/223SOG/14.8%

               James van Riemsdyk 27G/167SOG/16.2%

2022-23: Travis Konecny 31G/191SOG/16/2%

                Owen Tippett 27G/231SOG/11.7%

2023-24:  TK 33G/244SOG/13.5% 

                Tippett 28G/289SOG/9.7%

2024-25:  Matvei Michkov 26G/200SOG/13.0%

                Tyson Foerster 25G/142SOG/17.6%

When compiling the ideas and stats for this column, I arbitrarily came up with the idea that a true goal scorer – whether currently employed by the Flyers or forever just out of reach – should have a full-season shooting percentage close to or over 20%. Research proved this to be an overshoot.

The last Flyers forward to hit these exact parameters was Danny Briere, whose 2008-09 season was cut short due to a concussion after 11G in 29 games, with his 54 SOG resulting in a 20.4% pct.

You’ll have to go back 25 years to find the last Orange & Black forward to score at least 20 goals and hit close to or over 20% over a full, uninterrupted season – Keith Primeau in 2000-01, when he led the club with a 34G/165SOG/20.6% split. Before that, Eric Lindros did it twice in a row over his first 2 NHL seasons: 1992-93 (41G/180SOG/22.8%) and 1993-94 (44G/197SOG/22.3%). 

That’s right. Everybody’s archetype, Johnny Vermont himself, never came close to a 20% success rate despite five full seasons of 51,50,51,43 and 40 goals from 1995-2000.

Going further back, in 1988-89 alone, the Flyers had 3 players: Tim Kerr 48G/236SOG/20.3%; Rick Tocchet 45G/220SOG/20.5%; Ron Sutter 22G/106SOG/24.5%, but that was in an era when stopping 90% of all shots put goaltenders in superstar conversations.

Future Tense

One of the unintended consequences of head coach Rick Tocchet’s defensive system is that shots on goal are at a premium on the attack; this clearly won’t favor Zegras no matter where he plays or with whom.

A glance at Zegras' season log finds the greatest concentrations of multi-shot games came before Tyson Foerster’s arm injury in early December and after Alex Bump was recalled from Allentown in early March.

You would think that fewer shots per game and per season on a top-six player’s ledger would indicate better shooting acumen, but Zegras was one of the drivers of offense who had fingers pointed at his direction for choosing not to shoot more times than many of us cared to count.

Again, on break-up day, Zegras hinted this might not have been a technical flaw, indicating early conversations with Tocchet revolved around ways to become “a more complete player.”

“That was definitely something me and ‘Tocc’ talked about before the year and I think my goal and mindset was just to come in and be coachable and wherever they wanted me to play,” he admitted. “Just do my best and listen to what the people around me are saying.”

Although he produced five games of 6 shots or more, including three games of 7 SOG – one of which came after the Olympic break – Zegras totaled an incredible 58 instances of either no shots, 1 shot or 2 shots in any game last season. That’s just unacceptable whatever the circumstances. I’d imagine Tocchet’s definition of “complete player” also equals more consistent player.

It’s great Zegras publicly claimed his coachability. It’s great he said he was “fine” playing both wing and center and that center provides more room to play and more room to think. The rest of the issue falls on the coaching staff and their in-game as well as game-to-game adjustments and deployment. 

At the very least, Zegras is forced to play any contest with at least three basic mindsets: what to do as a center, what to do on the wing, what to do on the power play. Subdivide those three into however many game-action situations result from game play and it can be a lot for any young player to absorb and execute in real time. 

This strikes at the very heart of my repeated complaints about the organization, through multiple front office and coaching regimes, routinely treating forwards like amoebas, rather than creating specific roles suited best for each player. No wonder he’s hesitant to shoot or may not be able to find the space; messages and responsibilities in situational play have to scramble his brains.

Driving play means more than puck possession and puck direction. His skating is fluid and quick. Zegras need only look as far as Bump and Porter Martone for how to generate more shots, but probably needs a nod or a pat on the back from the bench to encourage more freelancing.

The gift of youth only lasts so long. Coaching tenures only last so long. Messaging becomes jumbled and mental exhaustion can often precede physical exhaustion. That’s more than enough reason for Briere to snag a true 1C this offseason, at least locking Zegras’ responsibilities in place. 

Short of a trade or free agent, isn’t that what they invested $25M on Christian Dvorak for?

Penn State, Team USA standout Janecke goes 3rd in 2026 PWHL entry draft

Courtesy of Onward State

 The 2026 Entry Draft for the Professional Women's Hockey League was held in Detroit on Wednesday evening, with some local-ish talent drawing sufficient interest to be welcomed into the fold as the next generation of stars to populate the 12-team league.

An expansion franchise, the Las Vegas contingent used the 3rd-overall pick to select left-handed Penn State forward Tessa Janecke and the 13th overall selection (first pick of the 2nd round) to snag right-hand shooting Princeton forward Issy Wunder. 

Janecke, a native of northern Illinois, finished her senior campaign by compiling 26 goals and 22 assists over 31 games for the Frozen Four entrant Nits, while adding an Olympic gold medal with Team USA this past February in Milano/Cortina. Janecke was on the ice for both USA goals in its 2-1 victory over Team Canada in the tournament's terminal contest.

Over 4 seasons in State College, she recorded a program-best 201 points (89G, 112A) in 145 contests. 

"I'm super excited just to get into that fan base and that city, that community," Janecke said after greeting her GM, Dominique Didia, at the podium. "I'm really looking forward to (the next season) and I can't wait to get out to Sin City."

For those in her hometown of Orangeville, Illinois (population 800) who supported her, Janecke said, "Thank you for everything. The schools my parents work at, just so much support and love from this small town. I appreciate it."

Wunder, a 22-year-old native of the Toronto metro region, ended her senior season at Princeton by posting team highs of 27 goals and 43 points over 34 appearances. Since 2022, she compiled 146 points (70G, 76A) in 129 games.

The 3rd pick in the 3rd round (27th overall) was used by the Boston Fleet to select right-hand shooting defense Leah Stecker. A native of north Jersey, Stecker posted career bests in assists (17) and points (20) over 39 appearances for the Nittany Lions. Over 152 collegiate contests, Stecker recorded 57 points and accumulated a plus-75 overall rating.

With the 3rd pick in the 3rd round, departing senior forward Madelyn Christian was scooped up by the Minnesota Frost. The left-handed shooter led all D1 women in short-handed goals en route to 19 goals and 35 points over 39 outings at Penn State.

"I'm at a loss for words. It's just an honor to be drafted by your hometown team," said Christian, who was born and raised in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.

In the later rounds, goaltender Katie DeSa from the Nittany Lions was taken with the 37th overall pick (1st in the 4th round) by the Vancouver Goldeneyes. 

From PSU Collegian

The senior netminder finished second in the nation with a 1.36 goals-against average and led the country with 12 shutouts among her career-best 27 victories. In addition, her .936 save percentage ranked 9th in the country. DeSa finished her 4-year collegiate sojourn by compiling an 63-13-2 record, 1.43 GAA, .932 save pct and 25 clean sheets. 

New York utilized the 43rd overall pick to select PSU's Katelyn Roberts, who finished fifth on the club with 33 points (16G, 17A) during her senior campaign. The native of the Twin Cities spent all 4 years with the Nittany Lions, totaling 103 points across 153 contests.

With the very next slot, the Toronto Sceptres welcomed right-handed shooting winger Jane Kuehl out of Princeton University. Kuehl, also a Twin Cities native, notched career bests in goals (13) and points (27) during her senior season with the Orange and Black.

Pick No. 49 -- the opener of the fifth round -- was given to Vegas, who selected defender Kendall Butze from Penn State. Butze, a left-handed shooter born in Cleveland, completed her collegiate career as the highest-scoring backliner in PSU history, having recorded 94 points over 151 games during her 4-year tenure in Central PA. She served as an alternate captain in her senior campaign.

"I'm a play-making defenseman so I'm ready to set up some teammates. I'm just really excited to get to work," Butze said when asked what her new club should expect during her rookie campaign."

Emerson O'Leary, a 22-year-old forward and four-year starter at Princeton, went 56th overall to Toronto. 

Mya Vaslet, a five-year performer at Penn State who shoots left-handed as a forward, was chosen with the 66th pick by the expansion Hamilton franchise.

Flyers part with Ersson, Andrae and welcome 'Brick' Woll in surprise trade

On a day both assistant GM Brent Flahr and general manager Danny Briere was scheduled to face the media for a pre-draft press conference in Voorhees, the club announced the first in what should be a spate of roster redefining moves.

The Flyers sent a pair of pending restricted free agents goaltender Sam Ersson along with defenseman Emil Andrae, plus a 2026 3rd-round draft pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit.

"We thought it was a chance to improve the team, help them take another step," Briere said, dispassionately. "Sam has been a fantastic teammate, really loved in the room, both him and Emil. We just felt, in Sam's case, it might be time for a change of scenery for him and hopefully it gives him that chance to take another step."

Ersson finished last season with a 14-11-5 record, 3.12 goals-against average and .870 save percentage across 29 starts and 33 appearances during his fourth NHL season. Despite assisting the club's mad dash to a playoff berth by going 6-1-0 in 9 appearances after the Olympic break, his lifetime 65-50-17 record, 3.01 GAA and .884 save pct. were deemed expendable by Briere.

"He did well in the second half last year, down the stretch," Briere admitted. "He's a gamer. But I think it was time for him to get the chance elsewhere."

Ersson carried a $1.45 million AAV cap hit on his expired 2-year deal. Both offer sheet and arbitration eligible, Briere did not wait to tender a qualifying offer to the 26-year-old lefty before making this move. In typical fashion with typically-brief public question time, there was no follow up from the assembled media as to why Ersson would need a fresh start in a new locale or why Briere chose not to even go through the qualifying process.

Andrae, also an RFA who completed an initial 3-year deal with a $903,333K per year AAV, ends up a disappointing 2nd-round choice from the 2020 draft under then-GM Chuck Fletcher. At 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, the club felt the 24-year-old made the blueline "smaller." He recorded 3 goals and 17 assists across 107 games since making his pro debut during the 2023-24 campaign. Andrae contributed 1 assist in his 4 playoff appearances this past spring.

Woll's acquisition likely signals that Briere views Vladar either unready to assume a No. 1 role with No. 1 work just yet, or he valued a younger player capable of playing more rather than relying on an inexpensive, more experienced veteran. During Tuesday's presser, he said the Boston College product would provide a good "tandem" with Vladar beginning next season.

"We felt that Woll is a step forward for us," Briere added, again without context or follow up.

The 27-year-old, former 3rd-round selection of the Leafs back in 2016 completed last season by going 15-16-7 with a 3.34 GAA, .898 save pct. and 2 shutouts. He posted career bests in wins (27), games started (41) and games played (42) in 2024-25 for Toronto. also starting all 7 games during the club's second-round defeat to eventual Cup champion Florida.

"The goalies have to perform," Briere continued. "I think it was tough at times last year when Sam was struggling, to trust and push him back (into the net). We hope that we're not coming down the stretch with a tired goalie. The better (if) you can have both of them going. We hope they can push each other that way."

As it stands now, Woll actually carries a larger AAV ($3.6666M) over the last 2 years of his current contract than Vladar does for his remaining one year ($3.35M). 

The Flyers additionally brought in Benoit, a veteran of 352 regular season games split between Anaheim and Toronto along with 20 playoff contests for the perpetually suffering Ontario franchise. 

Benoit, who will be 28 by the time next season commences, has averaged just over 17 minutes of ice time per game. His career bests of 10 points came for the Ducks in 2022-23 and for the Leafs 2 seasons back. One glaring hole in his game is his defensive usage, which led to garish minus-29 ratings 3 seasons ago and minus-22 last season. 

It would be difficult to envision Benoit as anything more than a seat filler at the 6-7 position, just like Andrae, but the expectation is the 6-foot-4, 210-pound backliner would be more of an imposing presence.

The native of suburban Montreal has one year remaining on his current contract, at $1.35M, ahead of UFA status in July 2027.

Prime suspects for Briere's offseason roster reshaping

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

If you’ve read me in the before times, or when I resurrected The Phanatic last year, you know I despise long-standing hockey cliches.

One of the big ones floated each and every summer by legacy media hacks is the idea that any general manager – in this case Flyers GM Danny Briere – needs to make a “big splash” in free agency to move things forward.

Just a reminder: this rush to make a “big splash” was a major factor in not one but TWO work stoppages in the last 2 decades. 

It’s already established Briere is – at least publicly – sticking to his guns that this rebuild will follow a path more like a steam locomotive than a roller coaster. Problem is, the world rotates as those inert choose to stay still. And besides, president of hockey operations Keith Jones stated this past winter, that a major flaw in the current roster construction is the lack of a top center.

With extra financial breathing room expected after another salary-cap expansion, plus the lingering million-plus from Cam Atkinson’s deal comes off the books, along with the expected departures of one or more UFAs such as Luke Glendening, Carl Grundstrom, Rodrigo Abols, Emil Andrae and Noah Juulsen, Briere can’t remain inert. 

There are solutions both cost effective and bold that are on the table, if Briere cares at all to receive more than just the usual mid platitudes from his boss, Dan Hilferty, either in private or in public.

As we approach the July 1 deadline, according to PuckPedia, the Flyers carry $66.5 million of total cap space. Approximately $42.8 million is allotted to forwards, $20.1 million to defensemen and Dan Vladar’s $3.35M on his existing pact.

Among the top six, monster cap hits are taken up by Travis Konecny ($8.75M through 2030-31), Sean Couturier ($7.75M through 2029-30), Owen Tippett ($6.2M through 2030-31) and Chris Dvorak ($5.1M through 2030-31). They’re also on the hook for $4M to Noah Cates for 3 more years.

Forwards

Dylan Larkin - The world has been notified that the soon-to-be-30-year-old wants out of Detroit. If ever there was a lock as a 1C, the Michigan product would be an optimal fit, despite being in the middle of a contract at $8.7M AAV per year. 

After racking up 643 points over 808 games in 11 seasons, Larkin has to have that hunger. He’s never tasted postseason success, with only 5 games of experience 10 years ago. That’s a delicious paradox: the players he’s expected to lead as a veteran can actually teach him what it’s like to turn it up in the spring.

If Wings GM Steve Yzerman wants to be taken seriously in any negotiation with any team which either Larkin or Detroit is interested, he cannot simply fixate on a trading partner’s best prospect – whether it be Porter Martone for the Flyers or anyone else – as a starting point.

Larkin is a player you don’t want to merely hear “the Flyers were ‘in’ on.” Whether or not Larkin is looking in Philly’s direction – and the dirt from 9 days ago says he’s not if he decides to wield his full no-trade clause – a pitch delivered in a face-to-face (virtually or in person) meeting with the player and agent is the absolute bare minimum.

My guess, the price would be two bodies – TK or Owen Tippett, or both – could be gone in any deal. And in the Connect Four that is the roster at the moment, that would open permanent spots for Martone or Alex Bump, maybe both if that’s the price. Also on the table would likely be one or more of the Flyers’ pending draft picks in the first 2 rounds (2 firsts in ‘27, single first & second in ‘28) which any club would salivate over.

His arrival would start to click the roster in place: Larkin at 1C, Dvorak at 2C and perhaps giving Denver Barkey an extended look at 3C around Cates & Foerster. It would be a complete disappointment and black mark on Briere's track record if we don't hear that Larkin's camp at least hears the Flyers' pitch.

Leo Carlsson - The 21-year-old Anaheim Ducks center presents a fresher, cheaper ($950K) option, although Briere might want more experience to fill a 1C role. He’ll fit perfectly for a club insistent on steady growth, with increasing career highs in goals, assists and points over all 3 of his NHL campaigns. 

Plus, as an RFA, Carlsson might be able to be locked into a longer-term deal with significantly reduced AAV compared to big-name UFAs. It would allow for adequate replacement of bottom-six forwards with some veteran grit without simply raiding Allentown for guys on 2-way deals. Carlson-Dvorak-Barkey sounds pretty good up the middle, no?

Brendan Gallagher - After the Habs loss in late May to the Hurricanes in the Eastern finals, Gallagher made it known he played his last game in Montreal, publicly unhappy with his apparent devaluation by head coach Martin St. Louis. Since arriving in la belle Provence 14 years and 911 games ago, he made it to three conference finals and one Cup Final while making enemies across the league. 

If “culture change” and “Flyers-type player” crossed in a Venn diagram, Gallagher’s answer is a total overlay.  Although the last year of his contract ran at $6.5M AAV, he’s an ideal candidate for a 2-year “sunset deal” to provide some sandpaper.  

Since the Flyers chronically shift players positionally and among their 4 lines based on need, Gallagher could be shuttled up and down the lineup at will. Top line? Give Dvorak & Zegras some room to operate. Second line? Chaos and Mayhem nightly with TK. Third pairing? Elbow grease to open up lanes for Michkov. 

Bottom line? If Gally can offer 10 goals, 20 points, 100 PIMs over 65-70 games, it’ll surely help push the lads along. As a player who stirs the pot and relishes the scrum, he may not be a darling of head coach Rick “Might as well drop the gloves and fight” Tocchet. Gallagher’s only engaged in 14 career bouts.

Defensemen

John Carlson - At 36 years old, with more than 1,200 games under his belt, there’s no one else who could bring the tools and experience to the backline. However, it would almost certainly mean losing whatever defensive instincts possessed by Rasmus Ristolainien and cost more thanks to his previous 8-year, $8 million AAV contract. Carlson would likely have to agree to a steep discount on another “sunset” pact but the Flyers really need a vet with less tread and maybe not another right-handed shooter. 

Darren Raddysh - Darling of the older beats because his career-best 22 goals for the Lightning last year was bolstered by 10 power-play scores. Can you really trust a 30-year-old with only 3  full years of NHL experience with 1 “contract-year” season of notice? Do you really think those numbers hold up in the Philly PP black hole? Raddysh’s last deal before UFA was $975K for 2 years so it might be tempting. 

Brent Burns - One of those f*** it, we ball choices. Hear me out. Although 41 years old and carrying more than 1,700 games in his wake, the grizzled one has put together five fully healthy seasons for the Sharks, Canes and Avalanche where he’s chipped in 63 total goals.

You want personality, it’s written all over his face and that Bobby Clarke-smile. A guy who can keep things loose in the room for the kids. A virtual steal at $1M. I’m envisioning Burnzie and Gritty pairing up for beard-oil promos, mountain-man lookalike contests, Halloween masks for the kids, Santa Burns outfits, etc. 

Goaltenders

Sam Ersson is a restricted free agent and arbitration eligible at $1.45M over his expired 2-year deal. If something isn’t worked out between the two camps, the below cost-effective options may provide some stability when Vladar needs to sit.

Matt Murray - Two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins, so we know he has a pedigree, but he’s clearly on his last legs. Still, a $1M price tag is a nice drop from whatever the Flyers’ qualifying offer would be to Ersson or what he could net if he wins at arbitration. Young players need veteran winners so we can’t deny what he learned – with Tocchet as an assistant no less - during his time with the Evil Empire. 

Eric Comrie - If Vladar is in line for more starts and more work given the pending extension, the 30-year-old who spent the previous 2 seasons in Winnipeg could be a catch. Learning under the wing of a 3-time Vezina Trophy, 2-time Jennings Trophy &one-time Hart Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck has to have some net positive effect. Comrie’s coming off a 2-year deal at $825K AAV and with his career save percentage hovering just below 90 percent for his career, this perhaps more than anything says “Flyers backup.”

Joseph Woll - Acquired during the morning of June 16, the soon-to-be-28-year-old Boston College product finished 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .909 save percentage 2 years ago, distinguishing himself in a messy Leafs net situation. With just 131 games at the NHL level, Woll is less experienced than Vladar. Plus, at $3.6666M AAV for the next 2 years, actually costs more than Vladar -- for now, ahead of his expected extension -- as well as more than 2 million more than Ersson.

If you read between the lines, the swift move may have been prompted due to the mysterious hand/arm injury suffered by Vladar in the first round. Here, Briere opts for a similarly-aged player who may be the spur Vladar needs to stay on top of his game.

(Ed, note: With the trade between the Flyers & Maple Leafs that exchanged Ersson for Joseph Woll, this story has been updated.)

Backtrack to the Phanatic's previous Offseason Weeklies:

Talking the big picture items Briere needs to show that he's a legitimate GM for a legacy franchise committed to building long-term success.

Evaluating Rick Tocchet's first year as Flyers head coach.

We know he's close to receiving a contract extension, but we don't know if Dan Vladar can really handle being a true No. 1 goaltender.

How will the two biggest cogs in the young offensive machinery, Alex Bump and Porter Martone, approach earning NHL jobs with their different in-season and off-season paths?