5. Trevor Zegras
Anaheim Ducks
As frustrating as some people are with Trevor Zegras, it’s hard to argue how well he would fit in with the Devils. Of course, he has that connection with Jack Hughes from their time with Team USA, and they are well known as friends (which could be a good thing or a bad thing), but it makes a lot of sense based on his skill set alone.
He’s a pure goal scorer, but in seasons where he should be having his most growth, he’s fallen off a cliff. Zegras had six goals all of last season after 23 the two seasons prior. He did play just 31 games, and this season, the injury bug hit him again. After four goals in 24 games (a 13-14 goal pace), Zegras tore his meniscus and was knocked out again. He was expected to be out for six weeks, so his return shouldn’t be too far off.
The Ducks need to add to this trade, and we think they’d be more open to send more the Devils’ way than they would in a McTavish trade. Maybe the Devils could get another young player like Sasha Pastujov or Stian Solberg (a long shot but not impossible). It feels like this is going to be a bigger trade with a lot of parts to get the right value. This one is complicated, but it might come with the most satisfaction.
This might be the most complicated year to trade Simon Nemec, as there are fewer sellers than we’ve seen in a long time, and most of the prospect trades don’t make a lot of sense for the Devils. The most likely option is going to be Nemec staying in New Jersey through the offseason.