Zegras Has Good - But Nearly Great - NHL Debut in Arizona

By all accounts, it was a very good opener for young Trevor Zegras, but it came agonizingly close to being an incredible one.

The 19-year-old forward made his much ballyhooed NHL debut Monday night in Arizona against the Coyotes and looked confident from the outset in helping the Ducks forge to a 3-0 lead in the second period. He didn't record a goal or an assist on the night, but was incredibly effective in his 13:14 of ice time, including 3 1/2 minutes on the first power play unit.
It was during an early man advantage opportunity that Zegras put his playmaking ability on display, slipping a pinpoint pass through a small window across the top of the crease that Rickard Rakell nearly deposited in the net from in close. The near miss was displayed on the faces of Zegras' family, who were in attendance and shown frequently on the Prime Ticket broadcast.

"It was just one of those plays where you kind of make a read," Zegras said. "I just tried to throw it to Ricky, and the goalie made a great save."
Anaheim managed to surrender the three-goal lead and ultimately fell behind 4-3 late in the game, when Zegras nearly tied by one-timing a loose puck from the slot that glanced off the shoulder of goalie Darcy Kuemper.
"I was just kind of hanging around the net and the puck squirted right through the defenseman's legs," said Zegras, the ninth overall pick of the 2019 draft. "I'd like to have that one back. Down by one with two minutes left, that's got to be in the back of the net. I saw the goalie pushing out. I tried to elevate it, and he made a great save."
The splendor of Zegras' debut started in warmups, where teammates put him through the typical rookie rite of passage of making him take a solo lap around the empty Ducks side of the ice before he was joined by the rest of the team.

"The guys were unbelievable," Zegras said. "The solo lap was something every kid dreams of, and for those guys to make it a special day for me was awesome."
Zegras skated mostly on a line with center Sam Steel and winger Jakob Silfverberg, who was pleased with what he saw from the youngster.
"I think he played a really solid game," Silfverberg said. "He had a chance with a minute to two left to tie the game. Obviously being on that line with him, he's a terrific player. He's skilled and he's going to make a lot of plays for us going forward. Hopefully he can keep building on this game too.
"He plays with a lot of confidence, and he talks out there a lot. It helps being on the same line with him. I hear him a lot. He was all over the place today, in a good way, and did a good job on the power play too."

Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins, who had previously warned against putting unreasonable expectations on Zegras, gave a strong review of his first night. "I thought he was good," Eakins said. "He made some good plays on our power play. He had an excellent chance to tie it near the end. The second period was tough on him with all the stops and starts, but overall I thought it was a good game for him."
Zegras seemed to get comfortable in a hurry in his short time in the AHL, recording four goals and five assists in just eight games with the San Diego Gulls before his recall on Sunday. The game at the NHL level will likely take more adjustment.
"It's a whole different ballgame 5-on-5 when you've got to be engaged in battles and hitting guys and making plays," he said. "The biggest thing for me is the less time and space you have."
More important to Zegras than his individual performance was the disheartening loss the team suffered, a fourth straight defeat for Anaheim. Zegras hasn't exactly faced much losing lately, having led Team USA to the World Junior Championship gold medal last month and helping the Gulls to a 7-1-0 record in his brief time in San Diego.
"With the loss it's tough for me to show how cool today was," Zegras said. "It was just one of those games you'd love to have back or have a couple of those chances back. But that was a really good hockey game and I think it was a great first game for me to kind of get my feet wet and go from there."