The Philadelphia Flyers will not require arbitration to get a new deal done with star forward Trevor Zegras. Emily Kaplan with ESPN has reported that Zegras is signing a four-year $36.5MM contract ($9.125 AAV). Zegras will be an unrestricted free agent when his deal expires after the 2029-30 season.

Zegras arrived in Philadelphia a year ago as a bit of a reclamation project. The ninth overall pick in 2019 and the Calder Trophy runner-up as a rookie, he posted back-to-back 60-point seasons in Anaheim before injuries and a fractured relationship with the Ducks’ front office derailed the early part of his career. He managed just 15 points in 31 games in 2023-24 after a contract standoff cost him training camp, then 32 points in 57 games the following year amid persistent trade speculation. When Anaheim finally moved him on June 23, 2025, the return: Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick, reflected how far his stock had fallen.

The change of scenery certainly worked. The Bedford, New York, native set career highs across the board with 26 goals and 67 points in 81 games, then added six points in 10 playoff contests as the Flyers reached the postseason for the first time since 2020. The path there ran through Rick Tocchet, who came in with an offseason plan to round out Zegras’ game away from the puck. Zegras played primarily on the wing, with some looks at center, and helped drive Philadelphia’s push into the playoffs down the stretch. The Flyers eliminated the Penguins in six games in the first round before being swept by Carolina in the second.

The signing continues a deliberate offseason approach. Rather than chase the open market, Philadelphia’s headline swing, an offer sheet to Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson, was matched; general manager Daniel Briere has prioritized internal business, following the eight-year Tyson Foerster extension with this one. Even after locking up Zegras, the Flyers retain ample flexibility, with roughly $30MM in projected space before this deal. The forward group already carries longer-term money in Travis Konecny ($8.75MM through 2033), Owen Tippett ($6.2MM through 2032) and Christian Dvorak ($5.5MM through 2031), with Sean Couturier‘s $7.75MM cap hit running through 2030. Extensions for Matvei Michkov and 2025 first-rounder Porter Martone loom over the next two summers, making cost certainty on Zegras a meaningful piece of the longer roster puzzle.

The work isn’t finished. Jamie Drysdale, Zegras’ close friend and former Anaheim teammate, whose presence eased his transition to Philadelphia, remains unsigned and carries his own arbitration hearing scheduled for July 20. He is coming off career bests of eight goals and 32 points and a strong two-way season. With Zegras handled, Briere turns to the second of his two restricted free agents against a similar deadline.

Zegras reestablished himself as the kind of offensive threat the Flyers thought they were acquiring, setting career highs while playing mostly on the wing for a young roster that returned to the postseason a year ahead of most expectations. The organization is betting there’s more to come.

“We’re thrilled to have Trevor committed to our organization for the next four years,” Briere said via the team’s press release. “The growth he showed this past season, proving that he is the skilled player he entered the league as, reinforced our belief that he will be an impact player for the Flyers for the years to come.”

At 25, and coming off his first fully healthy season since 2022-23, Zegras signs at a cap hit closer to his projected open-market value than his restricted-year price. The Flyers aren’t just paying for what he did this past season; they’re paying for the player they expect him to become.