On Monday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal tackled one of the day’s biggest stories: Trevor Zegras being traded from the Anaheim Ducks to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling, the 45th overall pick in the 2025 draft, and a 2026 fourth-round pick. With the price as modest as it was, the discussion naturally turned to whether the Canucks should have been in on Zegras.
“I lean towards yes,” Harm said. “The acquisition cost wasn’t high and the Canucks don’t have a lot of assets. I love the idea of going after a proven, higher-end top-six name like a JJ Peterka or Alex Tuch if you think you can sign him to an extension. That’s more of a clear checkmark. With a player like Zegras, there’s more risk, but the key difference is for a player like Peterka, the cost is going to be astronomical.”
Harm pointed out that the Canucks are in a spot where they’re not just one player away from being a true contender, so a move like this- if it works- can be a home run without giving up premium capital.
“This would’ve been the kind of move where, if it hits, you get disproportionate upside relative to what you gave up,” Harman continued. “The Canucks need a win like that. They need their own version of the original J.T. Miller trade, or the Sam Reinhart or Sam Bennett trade- acquire a player who hasn’t hit their full potential. You give up something for them but not a whole lot, and that type of trade ends up looking like a steal in hindsight.”
Zegras, just 24 years old, has had his ups and downs. He struggled with injuries and production last season, but there’s still a lot of untapped potential. Harm admitted it wouldn’t be a guaranteed success for Philadelphia.
“There’s no guarantee it works out for the Flyers. There are legit reasons why it may not- he may not stick at centre or get back to being a 60-point guy- but the risk-to-reward ratio makes sense. And it would’ve made sense for a team in the Canucks’ position.”
Quads added that Vancouver has shown they can find value in reclamation projects, but have yet to do so on the trade market.
“The Canucks have been great with their value signings- getting more out of guys than their previous teams- but they haven’t been able to do it on the trade market,” Quads said. “I lean toward yes, but Trevor Zegras also can’t be the best player you bring in all offseason. If your offseason looks like a Pius Suter re-signing and bringing in Trevor Zegras, that’s not really improving the team before free agency. If you’re looking at this offseason through the lens of the Canucks needing at least two or three really solid guys, it’s going to be difficult to do at this point.”
Quads saw value in Zegras because of what he didn’t cost. Bringing him in wouldn’t have prevented the Canucks from going after another top-six player.
“If they got Zegras, they should’ve done it at that price for the simple reason that it leaves your first-round pick and blue-chip prospects available. You can make a Marco Rossi trade after trading for Zegras or Marchment. Would you be happy if the Canucks traded for Rossi or Peterka, which is their big one, and then they get Zegras or Marchment, and re-sign Pius Suter? I think you make the Zegras trade because it keeps that flexibility to do what you’re out to do which is get two or three solid players who can upgrade the forward group. Zegras is still an upgrade over almost everyone in the Canucks’ forward core right now.”
Harm agreed that with the way the market looks this offseason, that kind of outcome would be a major win.
“Considering how much of a seller’s market and how competitive it is right now to buy anyone, that hypothetical where Rossi, Zegras or Marchment and re-signing Suter is a really good outcome considering where the market is at,” Harman said. “I would’ve pulled the trigger on Zegras, but I’m not going to criticize the Canucks for not doing it until I see what they do instead. They didn’t enter the conversation, which is fine, but let’s see what the alternative option they preferred is. If it’s Rossi, great.”
That’s where the attention now shifts. Zegras is off the board, but the Canucks have been linked to Marco Rossi, and Harm thinks that may be the path they’ve chosen.
“We know the Canucks have been pushing for him. This may be a case where they looked at both those guys and decided they’d rather pay for Rossi. If they trade for him for a reasonable price, I won’t look back at Zegras because they still accomplished the overall goal of acquiring a player below the age of 25 with upside.”
The verdict? Missing out on Zegras might sting in the moment, but if Vancouver has something better- or even just as smart- in the works, they’ll still be on track to do what this offseason demands.
Canucks offseason trade target: Alex Tuch
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