Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, perhaps at a crossroads, reflects on a ‘good ‘ol battle of adversity’

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Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, perhaps at a crossroads, reflects on a ‘good ‘ol battle of adversity’

IRVINE, Calif. — Injuries. Endless trade speculation. Even the occasional benching.

When asked what he would call this 2023-24 season, his third full year in the NHL and fourth overall, Trevor Zegras called it a “battle of adversity.”

“Good ‘ol battle of adversity,” said Zegras, the Anaheim Ducks’ inventive playmaker who could be at a crossroads with the club. “It’s probably the most adversity I’ve had to face during a hockey season.”

In a sit-down with The Athletic during the final week of the regular season, Zegras reviewed a challenging season that saw him start out with a contract snag and end with only 31 games played, as he missed large chunks of time due to a persistent groin-related problem and a broken ankle.

The end is what the polarizing 22-year-old will focus on and build from. He had only 15 points in all, and that is something his detractors will latch onto. Eight of them came in the last eight games, including two of his six goals. At long last, he felt like he was closer to the best version of himself.

“Obviously, with no training camp and then jumping right back into it, maybe not 100 percent,” Zegras said. “I think mentally it’s been tougher than it has been physically, which might be crazy to say. But I feel like since I’ve been back, I’ve been playing kind of how I normally play. It’s been good.”

He returned for good on March 26, but it was a process for Zegras to reach that point. The broken ankle that he suffered Jan. 9 in Nashville, on an awkward fall as he battled for a puck with Predators forward Juuso Parssinen, put him out for 11 weeks, longer than maximum of eight he was originally projected to be sidelined.

But it was the muscle injury at the beginning that threw his season off the rails. Zegras said the lower-body issue that originally forced him out for six weeks across November and December was osteitis pubis, which the Cleveland Clinic states is inflammation of the joint between the left and right pubic bones that can cause groin and abdominal pain. San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture had a severe case of it that rendered him inactive for all but six games this season.

It could be one reason why the offense and point production that Zegras normally gives the Ducks was virtually nonexistent before he was shut down. He had one goal and one assist in 12 games. The push by first-year head coach Greg Cronin to improve his defensive game played a role in suppressing his offense, but his absence made it apparent that he wasn’t at full strength.

“That’s a bit of a grind to go through,” Zegras said. “For hockey players, your groins are obviously very important. And I don’t want to say breaking my ankle was a blessing in disguise, but it gave me time to fully recover on the groin front. I’d say now it’s probably the closest I’ve felt to 100 percent. I’d say it’s a pretty good feeling.

“Being injured sucks. You don’t realize how tough it is until you actually go through something like that. Good to I guess experience it and know what it’s like. It’s been a tough year obviously, injury-wise.”

It was at the end of summer that Zegras estimates that he began to feel something wrong. Add in missing camp and most of the preseason as his camp and the Ducks slogged away toward a three-year bridge extension worth $17.25 million, and the injury worsened as he tried to play catch-up with his teammates.

“I started feeling some stuff,” he said. “Didn’t really know what it is. Kind of when I got back on the ice. Just skating. Might have ramped it up a little too quick or something. I didn’t take care of it like I should have and maybe been on top of it. Obviously coming back into training camp is a whole different animal. These guys are playing at a different pace than you skate in summer so that probably didn’t help too much.

“Like I said, it’s not an excuse for how it went in the early stages. Just kind of something everybody deals with, right? You learn from it. I think all in all, it’s a good experience to (learn) from for sure.”

All the time rehabbing and away from playing only made speculation about his future worse. There has been plenty of chatter about the Ducks potentially having thoughts of trading him, five years after making him the No. 9 pick of the 2019 draft and watching him become a Calder Trophy runner-up with an open-book personality and numerous highlight-reel plays.

The addition of Leo Carlsson, and placement of the 19-year-old rookie as Anaheim’s top-line center, pushed Zegras to the wing, and while he was back in the middle after injury knocked Mason McTavish out of the lineup, those factors — and the conjecture that Pat Verbeek didn’t see him as part of the young core he wants to build a winner with — led to persistent theorizing that Verbeek could make Zegras available. Cronin sitting him for long stretches during an October game at Columbus, and in a March game in Seattle, only added to the discourse.

If it wasn’t media outlets — including this one — looking at possible trade destinations, it was the countless proposals bandied about by hockey fans through social media. And it continues to this day. Speculation on a deal between the Ducks and Montreal Canadiens has almost taken on a life of its own.

“You see it,” Zegras said. “It’s hard not to see. Definitely sucks. I think you can always control what you can control. When there are certain teams that there are rumors to, obviously it goes in a different direction so to speak.”

The persistent trade talk has taken some of the fun that Zegras has enjoyed, as someone active on social media. He said he’s curtailed his presence but it has taken some of the fun out of being on a public platform. However, he added, “When you step away from that and just focus on coming to the rink, be where you are and control what you can control, it doesn’t really matter what people are saying.”

“Like I said, it’s a lot of new things I dealt with this year,” he continued. “Whether it’s outside of the rink, in the rink, my body. It’s nothing to shy away from but definitely good experiences (to learn from) for sure.”

But the composition of the team does have Zegras wondering about where he fits into the picture — and his future in Anaheim. The Ducks were ravaged by injuries to several of their top players this year, and rarely had all of them in the lineup together. With everyone at full strength, it looks like Carlsson and McTavish are in place at the top two centers. Cutter Gauthier, who made his NHL debut in Thursday’s season-ending win at Vegas, is a versatile forward who started out on left wing and has a top-line ceiling as a potential scorer.

Frank Vatrano led the Ducks with 37 goals as a second-line wing, while fellow veterans Alex Killorn and Troy Terry flanked Carlsson. Trading an inventive playmaker such as Zegras this early into his career would ordinarily seem unthinkable. In March, Verbeek strenuously stated that he didn’t shop him or get calls from teams as the trade deadline approached. He wanted to get Zegras back on the ice.

But that is the most Verbeek has done to deal with the smoke that a potential Zegras deal has produced. Zegras said he hasn’t spoken to his GM about the constant speculation.

“I mean, obviously, Pat is great at his job,” Zegras said. “You see the guys that he’s brought in here and the guys that he’s drafted. I got a lot of faith in Pat. I know he’ll do what’s best for this team. Whether or not we talk, I know he’s always got the best interest of the Ducks and what’s best for this team. Kind of just let him do his thing and try to play the best hockey you can.”

The Ducks suffered through a 27-50-5 season that was only marginally better than when they bottomed out in 2022-23. But that will net them another top-five pick at minimum, and present another shot at No. 1 overall in next month’s draft lottery. They’ll add another premium prospect to a club that has bright young talent on the current roster and in development.

Will Zegras be part of that when camp rolls around in September? Many have wondered. Perhaps even he has.

“Obviously, it’s very exciting,” he said. “All these guys are great hockey players. I feel like they’re all around that age, 20 to 24. Nineteen, some of them. If my role is to be a leader and help, try and work on that. If my role is to pass the puck to Leo and let him do his thing, that’s the role I’ll play.”

(Photo of Trevor Zegras: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)