Zegras Tells All About Time With Ducks

Some teams are easier to play and more enjoyable than others in the NHL, but the Anaheim Ducks never felt like the city where someone didn't enjoy. That is part of the truth Trevor Zegras told about his time in Anaheim and his downfall with the Ducks.

Zegras called it "Seasonal depression...I need winters. Every day felt like the exact same for five years. It was weird. Seasonal depression. It's a real thing. I swear to god." While he has every right to feel that way, he only played 41 home games every year and does travel to colder places throughout the season visiting every city to play at least one game, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Seattle who are all in the Ducks' division and much more North and colder than Anaheim.

Zegras also spoke about his contract, the first one coming off of his entry-level deal. He said, "the contract stuff played a role too. That was hard. Just from a mental standpoint. That was a year with the new coach and then you kind of come in behind the 8-ball. You get off to a slow start and then that combined with the contract." Zegras isn't wrong and he isn't alone in this regard either as new coaches impact players differently and so does missing some time. The GM of the Ducks plays hardball and the now former head coach wasn't that player-friendly either.

When Zegras didn't put up 20+ goals and 60+ points, missed time, and seemed to struggle, that's when the trade rumors started coming. He revealed, "with the (trade) rumors, it's just not fun. But I've gotta keep playing...and then it's 'you're moving over here, you're moving over here,' you're moving over here. And you're like, 'I'm doing everything you want me to do. The last thing I was thinking about was actually playing hockey at times.'" Trade rumors happen and players are traded. Players do have to block that out and play the game, but having that happen as a young player with less experience is definitely tougher than a veteran dealing with it.

Injuries played a part as well and Zegras continued to say, "That was hard for me. And then you throw in the injuries and then the rehab and the recovery and then getting back to, I guess, the place that you were before." He missed 50 games in 2023-24 and then 25 games last season.

It did feel like the confidence in Zegras disappeared very quickly, and he addressed this as well, saying "little things become big things in your head, and it makes it very hard to play against the best players in the world on a night-to-night basis. It almost felt like you were alone, when they didn't believe in you."

Zegras has a fresh start with the Philadelphia Flyers now and we should see signs of him bouncing back.