The Philadelphia Flyers made the first big trade of the offseason already, picking up Trevor Zegras. They sent Ryan Poehling and two draft picks to Anaheim for the former ninth-overall pick. They also hired Rick Tocchet to be the coach, bringing him back to Philly after a wild two years in Vancouver. When asked by The Athletic's Kevin Kurz. Tocchet says he has thought about playing Trevor Zegras with Matvei Michkov when the Flyers' season begins.

“We’d be idiots not to explore it and talk about it, and try to manifest it where it can work,” Tocchet told Kurz. “Can it work? I don’t know.”

Tocchet continued, “I always use (Wayne) Gretzky and (Mario) Lemieux as benchmark guys — they never liked playing on a line with guys that went east-west all the time. They felt it was really hard for them. …but there’s also certain things you have to do to become a good line — retrievals, driving the middle (of the ice), net-front — all that stuff. Creativity is great, but if you’re just on the outside spinning your wheels, I don’t think that’s effective.”

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The Flyers have a desperate need for centers, which they hope Zegras can help fill. He has struggled mightily in the face-off circle in his NHL career, winning just 40.1% of draws. But his playmaking takes over when he does get the puck, making him a high-upside option down the middle. Michkov is a winger who contended for the Calder Trophy this year.

The Flyers should not stop adding centers with Zegras. Philly has the sixth overall pick in the NHL Draft, where they could draft one for the future. But free-agency options Mikael Granlund and Jack Roslovic could be options as well. Zegras could develop into a star with Philadelphia, and giving him a talented winger is a great place to start.