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The Rangers missed out on a fantastic forward, and their division rival got stronger

ByJustin Bonhard|
Oct 17, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) reaches for the puck in front of New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) and New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
Oct 17, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras (11) reaches for the puck in front of New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) and New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers are in the midst of trying to pick up the pieces from the devastation that was the 2024-25 season. With a new coach at the helm, and an attitude that this is still a win-now team, the eyes are on the 2025-26 season to be a comeback of the ages.

There is one player that could have seriously helped make that a reality. After dealing Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks, who seem to be the busiest team of the offseason thus far, there is now a gap at the left wing side of the top-six. To make matteres worse, this up-and-coming star was dealt within the Metropolitan divison to the rival Philadelphia Flyers.

Trevor Zegras could have been a fantastic addition

Trevor Zegras was traded from Anaheim to Philadelphia for forward Ryan Poehling, a second-round pick in 2025 and a fourth-round pick in 2026. After having two big trades on the books already with aforementioned Kreider and Jacob Trouba during the 2024-25 season, the chemistry was there to try and strike a deal.

Zegras, who is regarded as one of the most creative players in the league, has one-year remaining on his contract. Last season was a bit of a dud for the budding superstar, only amassing 12 goals and 20 assists in 57 games, His season was cut short due to a devastating knee injury.

Oddly enough, after the injury occurred on December 12 he missed seven weeks before returning on January 21. Zegras finished out last season with 22 points over the last 33 games of play. He had only contributed 10 points in 24 games prior.

Imagine a second-line consisting of Zegras on the right side of J.T. Miller and Will Cuylle. Even though Zegras has primarily played center throughout his young career, it might be beneficial to both parties for the change.

The Rangers missed out on a golden opportunity with Zegras, and even though the Flyers are still a long way off of making waves in the Metropolitan, they did get a lot stronger. As he matures and enters his prime years, their is a high ceiling for Zegras. The Rangers are now going to have to deal with that for however long that may be, should he sign with them after his contract runs out at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Did the Rangers miss out big time?