There was a common, maybe misguided, perception of Trevor Zegras on his way out of Anaheim.
He was one-dimensional finesse, the thinking went. All style, no substance. A social media star, not a hockey one.
And Zegras knew that. He knew things had to be different in Philadelphia, too.
The Flyers, ahead of the NHL Draft back in June, took a measured risk that things would be different when they traded to get the 24-year-old forward from the Ducks.
During training camp in September, Zegras told ESPN that he wants his image to have changed by the time his first year with the Flyers is done, that he wants to be "known as somebody who is a hockey player."
Head coach Rick Tocchet issued him a challenge.
"At the start of training camp, I said 'Are you doing stuff for clicks on social media, or are you doing stuff to win hockey [games]?'" Tocchet recalled during his Wednesday press conference in Voorhees.
Zegras wanted to win hockey games, Tocchet continued. But saying so was one thing. Proving it true would be the real work, and at every end of the rink.
But so far, Zegras has backed up his stance. He's serious about this.
TREVOR ZEGRAS STAYS HOT 🔥
That's his 10th point of the season! pic.twitter.com/j6MOBPqHRG— NHL (@NHL) October 31, 2025
He scored twice in the Flyers' 4-1 win over the visiting Nashville Predators on Thursday night – the first on a second-period laser from the top of the circles after stepping in from the wall in support of a pinned-down Matvei Michkov, and the second on a third-period one-time pass from Cam York that he just got enough of to knuckle past Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros while on the power play.
With an assist on Jamie Drysdale's goal added on, it was the second time in three games that Zegras scored twice and registered three points.
It was the Flyers' third-straight win and their fifth in the last six games, with all of the victories coming at home, and with Zegras notching at least a point in each of those five wins.
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The Flyers are 6-3-1 after 10 games, and in the still very early going, they're occupying an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot as of Friday afternoon.
Zegras is their leading scorer with four goals and eight assists for 12 points and a plus-6 rating, and he's been everywhere for them. He's skated at even strength, on the power play, at center, or on the wing, and even in scrums when exceptions are taken – like in Tuesday night's win over Pittsburgh, when a couple of jabs to get a Penguin off teammate Tyson Foerster got the job done, but also drew him a miscondut and a barring from the ensuing shootout.
There's an edge to him, an attention to detail on the ice, too, a willingness to check, and just as much, a willingness to take them.
And it's working, for him and the Flyers both.
Things had to be different in Philadelphia. So far, Zegras had made them.
"I think if you watch his practices, for me, before he'd want like fancy pucks on the 2-on-1s, [but] now you'll see he'll drive," Tocchet said Wednesday. "The other day in practice he had four shots that were unbelievable shots because he drove and he shot like the way you're supposed to do it, instead of going down [where] it's more of a show."
Then Thursday night came, and Zegras went and fired home two.
"He doesn't want to be that perception," Tocchet said. "I think that's helping his game."
"I just try to play a good game every time I go out there," Zegras said after Thursday night's win. "Feed off my teammates that are doing the right things."
So far, so good for the Flyers on their Trevor Zegras gamble.
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