Zegras named finalist for rookie of year
Trevor Zegras, the Ducks' creative and charismatic 21-year-old center, was selected as one of the NHL's three Calder Trophy finalists for rookie of the year Wednesday in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The winner will be revealed at a time and date to be determined..
Zegras downplayed the possibility of winning the award and the significance of it following a season in which the Ducks faded badly from Stanley Cup playoff contention after the All-Star break, going 8-21-5, and failed to advance to the postseason for the fourth consecutive time.
“If you're living and dying by winning an award at the end of the year, I don't think you're doing it right,” Zegras said during his exit interview on May 2 at the Ducks' training facility at Great Park Ice in Irvine. “I don't know. I'm just trying to have some fun out there. That's all I'm doing.”
Zegras, Michael Bunting of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings were selected as the three finalists. Zegras is the third Ducks rookie to be voted as a finalist for the Calder Trophy, joining Bobby Ryan (second in 2008-09) and Paul Kariya (third in 1994-95).
Zegras set Ducks rookie records with 38 assists and 61 points in 75 games, breaking marks held by Cam Fowler (30 assists in 2010-11) and Ryan (57 points in 2008-09). Additionally, Zegras was second in scoring among NHL rookies behind Bunting, who had 63 points in 79 games.
“I thought overall it was pretty good,” Zegras said of his play this season. “We had some fun this year. As a team, we would have liked to have done a lot better. Obviously, playing at this time would have been a lot of fun. It's kind of the way things go. I'm looking forward to next year.
“It's weird. Everything comes to an end. It's kind of unsettling.”
Zegras became an Internet sensation after his lacrosse-style, alley-oop assist to teammate Sonny Milano in a Dec. 7 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Zegras also scored lacrosse-style goals in victories over the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 27 and the Arizona Coyotes on April 1.
Zegras' pass to Milano was viewed more than 50 million times over a 48hour period across various social and digital media platforms. His playmaking skills enabled him to become the youngest player in franchise history to lead the Ducks in assists, almost all in a more conventional form.
“There's a lot of things to be excited about and look forward to next year,” he said. “That's kind of where my head's at.”
Coaching news
Ducks assistant coach Geoff Ward resigned for personal reasons.
“Geoff made a personal decision to leave the club,” Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a statement without disclosing the reasons for Ward's departure. “We have an important void on the Ducks' coaching staff to fill, which we will do diligently this summer. We wish him the best.”
In addition, Joel Bouchard, coach of the Ducks' AHL team in San Diego, and assistant coaches Daniel Jacob and Max Talbot were fired after one season in a housecleaning move. Bouchard led the Gulls to a 28-33-7 record and a seventh-place finish in the AHL's nine-team Pacific Division.
“This was a tough year for everyone and we feel a clean slate is needed in San Diego,” Verbeek said.