Zegras eager for opportunity to develop at center with Flyers

Trevor Zegras moved between left wing and center for most of last season with the Philadelphia Flyers.

But center is his preferred position, and his play there down the stretch and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs could be part of what earned him the four-year, $36.5 million contract ($9.125 million average annual value) he signed July 15, avoiding an arbitration hearing.

"I feel pretty comfortable in both spots, whether it's in the middle or on the wing, so wherever they need me to play, I'm more than comfortable in both spots," Zegras said Tuesday. "I thought playing center in the playoffs was definitely something that gave me a lot of confidence. So I think wherever they need me, I'm good to go."

Zegras set NHL career highs in goals (26) and points (67) in 81 games last season, his first with the Flyers. That includes 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 25 games as Philadelphia's top-line center after the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Flyers went 18-7-1 during that stretch and clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2020, making up an eight-point deficit to finish third in the Metropolitan Division.

During the postseason, Zegras led the Flyers with six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 games.

However, he won 34.1 percent of his face-offs during the regular season, last among the 154 players to take at least 300 draws.

He was better during the playoffs at 44.0 percent, but his 75 face-offs were fourth on the team, and coach Rick Tocchet would use Sean Couturier or Christian Dvorak to take draws in important situations or late in games.

Zegras understands that to be a true No. 1 center, being more successful on face-offs is crucial.

"I think some of it starts in the gym and just getting bigger and stronger," he said. "But I think a lot of it was reps and repetition and taking a ton of face-offs, even against your own guys in practice or after practice, and just picking up on little things that maybe guys against you do. All things that I'm always thinking about. So I'll try and definitely be better than I was last year."

General manager Daniel Briere has little doubt that Zegras will respond to this new challenge. He said one of the things that impressed him about Zegras was how he handled being pushed and at times criticized by Tocchet last season.

"I was really excited to see the way Trevor reacted to that because not everybody takes it the same way," Briere said. "He really took it the right way."

Zegras is committed to making things work with the Flyers. When he was acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on June 23, 2025, he was coming off two disappointing seasons marked by injuries that limited him to 88 games and a full-time shift to the wing that led to inconsistent production.

But the trade provided a fresh start on and off the ice.

"I just had a lot of fun being at the rink and being around the guys," Zegras said. "I find it lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people, from the guys to the coaching staff to Danny (Briere) and 'Jonesy' (president of hockey operations Keith Jones), Dan Hilferty (chairman). I found that it was just a very good situation for me mentally, and it was a lot of fun on the ice too."

That's why he was adamant about getting his contract situation settled before his arbitration hearing, which would have taken place between sometime between July 20 and Aug. 1.

"He cares about this team," Briere said. "Even in this negotiation, he took charge. He's the one that said, 'I want to be in Philly. I love it here. I want to stay here.' So there's a big reason why this contract was done ... because Trevor was really involved, and Trevor was adamant that he wanted to be in Philly."

And Zegras is out to show that last season's play was just a precursor of what's to come next season and beyond. The Flyers will bring back most of the team that beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the Eastern Conference First Round and then lost in four games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.

"I think we're in a great spot," he said. "I think that was kind of just the beginning last year, and I think we've got a lot of confidence as a group for how we played after the (Olympic) break and how we all kind of came together and knew that it was going to be really hard to come out of that and make the playoffs. And then to win a round, I think that was great for what we're trying to build, and hopefully we pick up where we left off."