Trade grade: Danny Brière hits a home run with low-risk, high-reward move for Trevor Zegras

As the kids say, “Let Danny Brière cook.”

The Flyers completed a significant deal on Monday, acquiring Trevor Zegras for bottom-six center Ryan Poehling, the 45th overall pick in this weekend’s NHL draft, and a fourth-round pick in 2026.

Here’s a closer look at the deal and how we grade it from a Flyers perspective:

» READ MORE: Flyers acquire center Trevor Zegras in latest trade with Anaheim Ducks

The reasoning behind this grade has several layers to it.

First, the Flyers potentially get the top-tier center they have been craving. Zegras brings creativity, vision, and high-end skill, and although he play mostly wing this past season, he has plenty of experience playing down the middle. Whether or not he is paired with Matvei Michkov is the big question, as the long-standing claim by former coach John Tortorella was that the Flyers didn’t have the right centerman for the Russian in the system.

And here’s a good wrinkle: let’s say Zegras doesn’t stick at center and moves back out to wing, well, that’s a pretty darn good left winger to have. As we noted in our second mock draft about James Hagens — who may or may not fit the Flyers’ needs now with Zegras only an inch taller than Hagens at 6 feet — last summer, after Michkov’s signing was announced, Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said, “He’s going to pull all of you guys [the media] right out of your seats.” If it’s Michkov and Hagens Zegras? Don’t even bother sitting down.

Now, is he a bit flashy? Is he a showman? Absolutely, but he’s also a game-breaker, something the organization has been looking for since shipping Claude Giroux to Florida three years ago.

Zegras is a proven winner and an immense talent. He put the United States on his back at the 2021 World Juniors and backed up his guarantee-like pre-gold-medal game interview with a goal and an assist to beat the undefeated Canadians in the final. Oh, and he was the 2021 tournament’s top points producer and MVP. Then, in his first two full NHL seasons, 2021-22 and 2022-23 — when he was primarily playing center — he not only posted more than 60 points in each but notched a combined eight game-winners.

» READ MORE: Five things to know about new Flyer Trevor Zegras and his video-game moves

Yes, the past two years have not been great. He’s dealt with injuries and a demanding and tough coach in Greg Cronin, who was a bit like Tortorella; the latter is well known for his comments on Zegras’ flash and use of “The Michigan.” But Rick Tocchet is now the bench boss and has a knack for communicating with and bringing out the best in players — see Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes, and Pius Suter — and must have told Brière, “I Can Fix Him (No, Really I Can).”

As of now, the crux is that this is a show-me year for Zegras; unless he is signed to an extension on July 1. Zegras has one year left on his deal at a $5.75 million cap hit, and he will be a restricted free agent when it expires, which gives the Flyers a ton of control moving forward.

Losing Poehling does hurt the bottom six, takes some speed from the Flyers’ lineup, and removes one of the team’s top penalty killers. But there are people already in place to fill those roles, notably Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster on the penalty kill, and Zegras will bring some much-needed pep to a severely hampered Flyers power play. Of his 67 NHL goals, 15 have come on the man advantage, and 39 of his 116 career points. During his two-year peak (pre-Cronin), Zegras had 17 power-play points each season; only Travis Konency and Michkov equalled that this year.

And one more reason this deal gets an A? The Flyers didn’t give up much. They didn’t even give up the pick they originally got from the Ducks for Cutter Gauthier (which is No. 40 on Saturday). In fact, No. 45 was the Flyers’ last of four second-round picks. Brière held onto all three of his first-round picks, his top three second-rounders, and his top picks next season. That is pretty masterful.

» READ MORE: Ten players the Flyers could target via trade or free agency this summer