It hasn't been a secret all year — Trevor Zegras has felt like he has something to prove.
We know this. After things went awry for him in Anaheim and he was traded to the Flyers, Zegras wanted to show that the Ducks made a mistake in giving up on him so soon.
If it wasn’t evident by Zegras’ fast start — scoring 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in his first 36 games as a Flyer before Christmas — it was clearly evident on the night the Flyers played his former team for the first time, when he scored a pair of goals. He celebrated one by appearing to take a phone call and then quickly hanging up — which he later said was a reenactment of how brief the call was when Ducks GM Pat Verbeek informed him he had been traded to the Flyers.
But after that game, Zegras — like the rest of the Flyers — ran full speed into a brick wall.
In the next 20 games, Zegras had just nine points (4G, 5A). He was also a minus-9. After being the team’s most productive forward through the first 41 games of the season, his drop in production hurt the team’s offense. Already without Tyson Foerster, who was the team’s leading goal scorer before being shelved on Dec. 1 with a shoulder injury that would ultimately cost him 49 games, Zegras’ precipitous drop-off left the Flyers scrambling.
Trevor Zegras - Philadelphia Flyers (24) pic.twitter.com/7dDjmXIPUC
There were other reasons for their sudden fall from grace, but Zegras' play didn’t help matters, and in those 20 games, the Flyers were a paltry 6-10-4.
They fell from second place in the Metropolitan Division all the way to sixth. As the trade deadline approached, it became clear — the Flyers were likely going to miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
But that’s when something else changed.
The Flyers' players had believed all along that they were a playoff team as constructed. But when GM Danny Briere traded away popular forward Bobby Brink at the deadline with an eye toward the future, acquiring defensive prospect David Jiricek in return, it seemed to galvanize the locker room.
Needing to readjust the lineup after Brink’s departure, head coach Rick Tocchet moved Zegras back to his natural center position. He had played in a hybrid center role at the beginning of the season on a line with Christian Dvorak, but Zegras’ play — both in the faceoff circle and away from the puck — left a lot to be desired.
The Flyers viewed him as a better option on the wing. He could facilitate more offensively there and didn’t have to worry as much about the defensive responsibilities required of a pivot.
With the stakes seemingly lower after the Brink trade, Tocchet moved him back to the middle with the intention of it being a test run — give Zegras another opportunity in a lower-stakes situation and see if he responded.
Little did anyone know what was to come.
The Flyers have gone 12-4-1 in the 17 games since, including a surgical 5-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Newark on Tuesday. In that game — one in which the Flyers won on the road for the 10th time in 11 games, the best 11-game road stretch in franchise history — Zegras scored the first two goals in the first 3:38 of game action.
Trevor Zegras - Philadelphia Flyers (25)
Power Play Goal pic.twitter.com/Ky8rflscb9
It was the second-fastest two goals by one player to start a game in franchise history, behind only Brian Propp, who did it in 1:58 in 1982.
But since the move back to center, Zegras has turned on the production — and hasn’t been a liability at the position.
Zegras added an assist later in the win, giving him his first multi-point game since Jan. 21 and his first three-point game since Nov. 14.
Since the move back to center 17 games ago, Zegras has 15 points (4G, 11A). He has now set a career high in goals (25) and matched his career high in points (65). He needs just two assists in the final four games to match his career high in that category as well.
“I think he wants to prove a lot of people wrong,” Tocchet told reporters after the win in New Jersey. “He’s played with a chip on his shoulder, and I love that. ... He pushes the pace and, like I’ve said, he’s a really good locker room guy.”
For Zegras, it’s about playing in games that matter. At no point in his career has he made the playoffs. In fact, his teams have rarely come close. Usually, early April is about playing out the string, avoiding injury, and preparing for golf season. Zegras is a tremendous golfer, and early endings to his season have often afforded him the chance to get on the course sooner than most.
But this season, he's been more willing to delay his first tee time.
He had something to prove — and he is proving it.
Head coach Rick Tocchet met with the media following Tuesday's 5-1 win over New Jersey.#PHIvsNJD | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/jjySOq9Pil
With the win, the Flyers maintained a two-point lead over Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Both teams have four games to go. The Flyers would currently lose the tiebreaker to Columbus, although there is a very narrow path to passing the Blue Jackets via regulation wins.
(The Flyers would need to go 3-1-0 with all three wins in regulation, while Columbus would need to go 4-0-0 with all four wins coming in overtime or a shootout.)
With that scenario being highly unlikely, the Flyers simply need to stay ahead of Columbus by at least one point. Philadelphia is also tied with Ottawa at 92 points but would lose a tiebreaker to the Senators. That matters if Columbus passes the Flyers in the division and the Flyers and Sens are battling for the final wild-card spot. Ottawa also has four games remaining.
The fact that the playoff conversation is even real is remarkable. The Flyers were eight points out of a playoff spot and in 13th place in a 15-team Eastern Conference needing to leapfrog seven teams in both the Metro and Atlantic divisions.
But the Flyers have been the hottest team in hockey — and the teams they were chasing have collectively collapsed. It’s been a perfect storm, and for Zegras, it’s meant everything.
“It’s amazing,” he told reporters in New Jersey. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this rush of winning. It’s exciting.”
There are still flaws in his game at center — areas the Flyers would like to see improve if he’s going to stick there — but he’s showing he can at least handle the position without being a net negative.
Whether the Flyers should take this month-long stretch and mark Zegras in permanent ink as their long-term solution at center is another question entirely. That would be a risky proposition.
The Flyers can’t get carried away by this surge. It’s a fun ride — one the team and its fans should absolutely enjoy — but a late push fueled by perfect timing and outside help shouldn’t mask the need for improvement.
The ultimate goal is contending for a Stanley Cup every year. And that remains unlikely without strengthening the center position.
(I've learned not to use the word impossible after experiencing this mad dash to the playoffs).
Zegras has been the change-of-scenery success story the Flyers hoped for, but they can’t assume that alone will sustain them long-term without a true No. 1 center.
Knowing how Briere operates, it’s safe to assume he won’t let this feel-good stretch cloud his long-term vision. He’ll evaluate when the ride ends and recognize that more work still needs to be done.
But that’s a conversation for another time.
For now, it’s about one thing — survive, advance, repeat four times.
And if Zegras continues playing with his hair on fire at center to get them to the postseason, that’s A-O.K.
