Trevor Zegras has just sent a clear message to the Ducks and rumors are heating up

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David St-Jean
August 5, 2023 (2:06 PM)

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A few days ago, Kent Hughes reached an agreement on a one-season contract with forward Jesse Ylonen. Ylonen was the last player within the organization to not have a contract in hand. Following this announcement, it can be said that the Canadiens' GM could head into vacation with a clear mind.

However, this is not the case for all league executives as several restricted free agents are still without contracts. While the situation with Alexis Lafrenière is interesting to follow, the situation with the Anaheim Ducks is even more intriguing.

Two significant players from the organization led by Pat Verbeek, Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, are still awaiting their turns. While Drysdale's situation should be resolved fairly easily, Zegras's case is more complex. He will undoubtedly aim for a deal similar to his close friend Cole Caufield, or possibly even more.

In an interview with the NHL website, Zegras mentioned that he will not set foot in California until he has a contract in place.

"Obviously, I'd like to go back there with my teammates, but it's out of my control."

"I'm well set up here (Stamford, Connecticut) to train and skate. No matter where we are with the contract, I know I'll be able to prepare properly for the upcoming season." -Trevor Zegras

A statement that is, much like Zegras's play on the ice, quite controversial. It's known that Zegras doesn't have unanimous approval throughout the league due to his playing style.

Earlier this week, the Ducks reached an agreement with forward Troy Terry on the terms of a 7-year contract valued at $7 million per year. He is currently the highest-paid player within the organization, followed by Cam Fowler ($6.5 million/year), John Gibson ($6.4 million/year), and Alex Killorn ($6.25 million/year). There's no doubt that Zegras will, once an agreement is reached, top this list.

In 81 games last season, the American forward tallied 23 goals and 42 assists for a total of 65 points. In his career of 180 games, he's amassed 139 points, including 49 goals.

Let's hope for the Ducks' fans that this situation won't add too much fuel to the fire!