Zegras emerges as leader for Flyers, 'role model' to younger teammates

PHILADELPHIA -- Trevor Zegras has always had a vibe to him, a skating version of yacht rock in the crash-bang heavy metal clamor of an NHL game.

The Philadelphia Flyers forward has been described by close friends and coaches as an energetic golden retriever and Jeff Spicoli, Sean Penn's character in the 1980s film "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

"He's just go-with-the-flow kind of guy, surfer vibe," Flyers teammate Denver Barkey said. "Nothing really bothers him."

But when Zegras signed a four-year, $36.5 million contract ($9.125 million average annual value) with the Flyers on July 15, general manager Daniel Briere said it was time for the 25-year-old forward to emerge as a leader.

Zegras will never be compared to the likes of "Captain Serious" Jonathan Toews, but in his seventh NHL season, he understands his place in the League and importance in a Flyers dressing room that began the season with five players age 22 and younger.

Philadelphia had six rookies in the lineup for its 3-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

"There's just a point in time where you realize I'm an older guy and leader, but they're definitely young and they ask a lot of questions," Zegras said. "I feel like there are some things I can relate to, being in their shoes not that long ago. They're good dudes and good people and that makes it easy."

One of the ways Zegras has chosen to make it easy on his younger teammates is opening his Philadelphia-area townhouse to them.

That began last season with Barkey, who was recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League in December 2025. After spending about a month living in a hotel near the team's practice facility in Voorhees, New Jersey, Barkey said Zegras basically ordered him to move into a spare bedroom at his house.

"I had space and living in the hotel, I remember it was never very fun," Zegras said. "When you have a young guy like that you want to make him feel like part of the team as quick as possible. I felt like it was the right thing to do."

That arrangement remains in place for Barkey this season, and the 21-year-old credits it for his adjustment to life in the NHL. He had 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 43 regular-season games and two points (one goal, one assist) in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season. After missing the first three games this season recovering from a lower-body injury sustained during a preseason game, Barkey enters the Flyers' game at the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, truTV, TNT) with three assists in eight games.

"Him welcoming me into his home with open arms … he said, 'You've always got a spot at my place,'" Barkey said. "Means a lot coming from an older guy, someone you look up to, someone you grew up watching.

"I think it makes it a lot easier. I think last year was eye-opening in terms of the jump to pro and the whole lifestyle and just everything that comes with it, trying to get used to handling certain situations that you're not used to that are kind of thrown at you throughout the season. … Another year with Trevor, it's really helpful and it allows you to kind of focus on hockey and just helping this team win games and do what you can to get better as a player."

Rookie forward Porter Martone moved in during the offseason -- not that he necessarily was invited.

"He was coming over pretty much every night, and we had an extra bed," Zegras said. "He pretty much just moved in himself."

Martone, who turns 20 on Monday, continues to make himself at home there through the early part of the season.

"Trevor's been awesome," he said. "He's such a skillful player, makes plays, and I think that's something for me to really lean on because he's had a lot of talks with me. I think the biggest thing he's kind of told me is honestly just don't think, just go play, go be yourself, go make your plays. … That's someone who's kind of taken me under his wing. He's taught me the ins and outs about the League.

“He's been awesome to me. Definitely a role model, and he's a big leader on our team as well."

That leadership has been tested. The Flyers lost their first nine games this season (0-6-3), but Zegras has done his best to keep things as positive as possible away from the rink. On the ice, he capped their first win of the season, 3-1 against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, with an empty-net goal. Zegras then had his first three-assist game in two seasons with the Flyers against the Avalanche.

He has seven points (two goals, five assists) in 11 games, tied with Matvei Michkov (six goals, one assist) for Philadelphia's scoring lead.

"He's just kind of a happy-go-lucky guy," Martone said of Zegras. "He cares so much about this team, and he just loves coming to rink. ... There's going to be adversity in the season; he's someone who's going to lighten the mood in the room. It's awesome to have one of those guys on this team."

Zegras sees his leadership approach as paying forward what older players did when he began his NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks in 2020-21, crediting defenseman Josh Manson for being one of his earliest mentors.

"I didn't live with him, but he was the guy that really I felt like went out of his way to look out for me," Zegras said.

Manson said Zegras was an easy player to help.

"I felt like the League was pumping him, there was all this hype around him," Manson said. "He's a guy that as much as he looks like he likes the spotlight, he's a flashy kind of personality, I think he also likes his private space a little bit and he just wanted to come into the League and do his thing and prove himself.

"I just wanted to be there as a normal, level-headed ... you've got something on your mind, you can bring it to me any time you want and I'll give you advice on it, whatever it may be. ... For anybody who's young in the NHL, it's a tough league. It's a tough league to crack, so sometimes you need a sounding board."

Zegras has since become that sounding board for younger teammates.

"You don't want to go out of your way to start saying stuff to everybody, but if there's questions and things I think I can help with, I don't mind sharing,” he said. “It's fun."

His teammates are certainly appreciative.

"I feel like in hockey, there's not a lot of people that are like him," Barkey said. "He's one of a kind in my eyes, and I think you can learn a lot from him and just how he carries himself and what he does day to day. I think his mindset, his vibe, his attitude, just the way he talks to me, it helps me take my mind off hockey when it needs to be taken off hockey.

“And he's also there for advice. He's been through it. He's been in the League for a long time, so I can kind of reach for him and ask him questions. And two different facets, whether it's life or hockey."

NHL.com independent correspondent Ryan Boulding contributed to this report