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It's been an abysmal campaign for the 2023-24 Anaheim Ducks, and Trevor Zegras getting injured again will not do anything to turn around another rebuilding season in California.
The 22-year-old, who is in the midst of his worst season as a professional hockey player, is again on the shelf after being injured in a rare win on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators.
Zegras will be out “for a while” according to head coach Greg Cronin, who confirmed that the young star suffered a lower-body injury in the first period of the 5-3 win over the Preds.
“The Ducks' top line left wing was injured just 6:25 into the first period when he and Predators forward Juuso Parssinen got tangled up,” wrote ESPN on Wednesday. “Zegras fell awkwardly feet-first into the boards near the Nashville bench and could not put any weight on his left skate as he had to be helped off the ice.”
Zegras injured in 200th NHL contest
The injury unfortunately came in Zegras' 200th NHL game, which have all been played with the team that drafted him.
“He's not doing good, he'll be out for a while,” Cronin confirmed.
It was the New York native's eighth game back after missing 20 straight with another lower-body injury. After recording back-to-back 60+ point seasons, it was expected that the former San Diego Gull would take another step forward this year.
But that has not at all been the case for Zegras, who has accounted for just four goals and seven points in 19 games this season. It looked like the former No. 9 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft was starting to turn things around after scoring two goals in Anaheim's last game, a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
Instead, he'll be watching from the press box for the foreseeable future.
The Ducks are in the midst of a six-game road trip that began in Smashville, and will take the team through Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida, Washington and San Jose before a home return against the New York Rangers on Sunday, Jan. 21.
At this point, the Ducks are already looking to the 2024 NHL Draft — their 14-25-1 record isn't anywhere near good enough to compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
And with Cutter Gauthier now a member of the Ducks, there's been some speculation that Trevor Zegras could be made available for a trade before the Mar. 8 deadline.
