The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: David Pagnotta on the Zegras Trade and Free Agency

Episode Date: June 24, 2025

NHL insider David Pagnotta stops by to break down the blockbuster Trevor Zegras trade between the Ducks and Flyers, and dives into all the latest buzz around the NHL Draft, free agency, and potential trades heating up across the league.Shout out to our sponsors!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼Ninja Kitchen Canada: https://www.ninjakitchen.ca/products/ninja-crispi-4-in-1-portable-glass-air-fryer-cooking-system-zidFN101CGY?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=olv&utm_campaign=25Q2-Crispi&utm_content=en👍🏼Budweiser: https://www.budweiser.ca/ca_enReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hockey fans, get ready for an in-depth look at the future of the game. The Sheet Draft Special is live on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel Friday, June 27th at 7 o'clock Eastern, hosted by me, Jeff Merrick, alongside my co-host Pierre Maguire and a slew of live guests. We're bringing you real-time coverage of the 2025 draft, diving into every pick as it happens, from top prospects to surprise steals, team strategies to player potential. We're breaking down the entire night with expert analysis and insider insights. Don't miss the Sheet Draft Special, live June 27th at 7pm Eastern on the Daily Face

Off YouTube channel. Subscribe now so you don't miss a moment. Brought to you by The Nation Network. It's time to go to Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period who joins us right now and we can have a lengthy conversation about the Hall of Fame merits of Lauren Shabbat or we could talk about the Trevor Ziegres trade. Up to you. I'll lean with the Ziegres one, if you don't mind. Don't mind at all.

Yeah. I mean, look, things started to pick up over the weekend. And I don't think too many people thought maybe it was going to start getting or actually get going today when things kind of got finalized this morning between Philly and the Ducks. But look, it's not a trade deadline. It's not a free agency draft period without Trevor Ziegres's name being tossed around. um, they finally, you know, just pull the trigger on this one. The ducks had held off for some time. Um, obviously as Hain had been out there, as I mentioned for, for quite some time, but they held off, they wanted a bigger return and they just felt at this point, it's better to just rip the bandaid off and get this over with, give him a clean sheet somewhere else.

Uh, and for them, they get to move on and focus on other elements of their roster that they're going to continue to look to find too. So a couple of things on this one. I was mentioning earlier that, you know, listen, we've heard the name Trevor Ziegres in the Philadelphia Flyers, essentially going back to when, you know, his buddy, Jamie Drysdale, was traded from, from Anaheim to Philadelphia

in the Cutter-Goethe deal. The one thing that I, that I wonder about from Anaheim's point of view, when the Chris Kreider deal was done, I think we all wondered, okay, so what is this going to mean for Trevor Ziegres and how much further down the lineup is he going to get pushed? And then from the Philadelphia Flyers point of view, you know, one of the texts that I got right away when the deal became obvious, it was going to happen, someone said to me,

was it always John Tortorella that tried to stop something like this from happening? Because as you pointed out, Dave, the name's been out there with Philadelphia for the longest time, right? It's almost as long as like Ryan Eugene Hopkins is going to Minnesota for Matthew Dumba. How many times did we chase that one?

But I'm firmly of the belief that Tortorella would have wanted someone like Trevor Ziegler or Trevor Ziegler himself specifically for that power play. Like, they never really had that skill guy on the half wall. Now, unfortunately, it's not, you know, John Tortorella and Rocky Thompson that get to enjoy having a skilled player

on the half wall in the power play, but it's Rick Tocket. Like, right away, the Flyers power play is the beneficiary of this deal. Oh yeah, absolutely. And this is something that Danny Breyer had been trying to pull off for, you just mentioned, a few years now. He was on his target list for a while. He was discussed when they first did the Goetje deal. They tried to make it a bigger deal, a bigger package, and they're like, all right, we're not going to be able to get to the finish line here.

So they, they get Drysdale as the main piece. Um, but they get to reunite the buddies together with Drysdale and Zegress, um, having a strong bond off the ice as well. That'll certainly help in terms of getting, you know, Trevor acclimated a little bit easier to Philadelphia. Um, but I agree with you. I don't think this was something that Torch was, um, you know, Trevor acclimated a little bit easier to Philadelphia. But I agree with you. I don't think this was something that Torz was, you know, putting a stop on. I just think they just couldn't come to terms on something. Now,

again, the price tag for Zegras a year ago was higher than the price that Philadelphia paid, excuse me, right now. Yeah. But again, injuries played a factor. excuse me right now. Yeah. But again, injuries played a factor. You know, he didn't re or I guess reengage from an offensive perspective and get back to his level of where he was earlier on in his career. When he first jumped in the NHL, all different kind of elements kind of factoring in there resulted in the ducks just again saying, it's time to move on for both parties.

And they get this done in Philadelphia. I know there were a number of teams that were in on this, but ultimately Philadelphia was the one that said, no, let's just, let's make it happen now. Do you have a thought on, because I, again, like so much of our conversations are going to revolve around, okay, they're opening up space for Mishmarner. Oh, they're, they must be opening up here

for Jason Robertson with the Anaheim. Right. Do you have a thought on, like I don't believe that Pat Verbeek makes a move like this without having at least one follow-up move in mind. Like I don't just look at it and say,

well, they made this move because of Crider. It looks like, okay, yeah, they had the Crider deal, but there's also subsequent moves here for Anaheim because we know, listen, Anaheim's gonna be one of the big players this off season. Certainly. That's pretty obvious by now. You have a thought on what this sort of sets up now for Pat Forbeek? Well, I think, you know, prior to this move, prior to the Crider deal,

that their plan is to go in heavy on Mitch Marner. Um, to what extent? I'm not exactly sure. And I don't know where Anaheim is with respect to his list. You know, Vegas is now widely reported, and accurately so, that Vegas is definitely in the mix, or will be. And they're probably going to be the front-runner in this race. LA is also going to very much be in there. He has interest in going to both of those places. You know, the ducks, Columbus, Utah, Carolina, like they're all going to, and

others, they're going to get in on this. But where those teams rank with respect to where Mitch is at, I'm not quite sure. But Anaheim certainly they're going to take a swing, I believe. Um, and I think they're going to take a few swings and a few other players, you know, Brock Buster's out there It'll be a ufa Nick Ehlers as well It's not a deep free agent pool But I can certainly see them trying to get into the mix not only by adding more firepower. Excuse me up front

But also Jeff looking at that at the decor could they enter the Aaron Eklad? You know race as well and see because he's looking to go to July 1 by all accounts, unless there's a huge change from his side. So I think without question, Anaheim, Pat Ferbique and company over there are looking at this off season as an opportunity to make additional changes, not just a couple, you know, you know, Crider moves, Zegras move a couple. OK, we checked a couple boxes. Let's call it a summer. They're going to be active and they're also going to continue

to explore the trade market as well to see what other assets may be available to them. If they do miss out on some some of the free agents that are going to be out there. Just as an aside on Neckplot, I really do wonder about Utah with with Aaron Neckplot. That's another team that's going to make the right hand right right hand shot first pairing guy.

That would make a lot of sense, I think, to a lot of people here. That's another team that's gonna make the right hand shot first pairing guy. That would make a lot of sense, I think to a lot of people here. One more thing on Anaheim. It's kind of an obvious, put the ball on the tee for Dave here question, but when it comes as far as like recruiting goes, as far as getting players to wave no trades,

the presence of Joel Quenville makes it a lot easier for players. And then no offense to Krona before, but having Quenville makes it a lot easier for players. And then no offense to Corona before, but having Quenville there makes it a lot more palatable and easier for players to wave their no trade, true or false? True. Yeah. It's a combo now because now this team is, they're taking the next steps in their, in their evolution. It, you know, going through the rebuild, getting the young kids that are in there that are going to be key pieces of that core that have experience under their belt and their, and their improving. Now you add an experienced coach in Joel Quenbow and it changes the

dynamic a little bit for the better, for, for, for their ability to bring in players, um, either to wave no trades or no moves or to bring in a free agent. Because now, like everybody wants to win, right? Everybody wants an opportunity to win. And if you can do it consistently, if there's a long runway there with the right pieces in place, including the guy behind the bench, then that makes it that much more appealing to join. When you're a bottom feeder, nobody wants to be part of that, regardless of the market, regardless of what the tax bracket is. These, if you're winning these markets, these teams, they're appealing.

And to have a guy like you behind the bench, that's obviously been there, done that, that's an added bonus for teams or for players that are considering the ducks. Did you know socks are one of the most requested clothing items by organizations addressing homelessness. Bombas also makes incredibly comfy underwear and t-shirts, which by no coincidence are also some of the most requested clothing items by homeless shelters. So far Bombas has donated over 150 million essential clothing items to people who need them. Bombas doesn't just do good, they feel good. Each sock and slipper is thoughtfully made with the softest materials.

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exchanges or replacements. So to feel good and do good, go to bombas.ca slash the sheet and use the sheet for 20% off your first purchase. That's bombas.ca slash the sheet and use the sheet at checkout. I would think Anaheim would be in fit in John Tavares as well.

I don't think that's much of a secret at this point. Any, you've written about the Toronto Maple Leaf Center. Is there a latest is my question. As of this more or whatever we are in this afternoon, not yet, but I do. There is a lot of work that needs to be done. If the Toronto Maple Leafs want to get John Tavares signed and staying in that group, it's going to take a significant bump in the dollars. What I had heard over the weekend was a three year offer was presented under

four million per year. And that's definitely not going to be able to get that to get that done. He's going to cash in. Is he willing to take less to stay in Toronto than he would on the open market? I believe so. But the numbers got to bump up quite quite a bit here in order for that to happen, especially on a three year term. So, you know, are there going to be teams out there that are willing to give them seven plus? I believe there is,

or there are, and you know, he's got to navigate what direction he wants to go. But first and foremost, that number from Toronto side of things is going to have to go up. I heard they're pretty far off on Matthew Nyes as well. And they're starting to look at, not, uh, they'll get NICE locked in, but with respect to some of the other free agents that are out there, they're starting to compile a target list of who to go after in the event that they do lose out on some of their guys, including Tavares and some of their depth pieces. Like, you know, Steve Lawrence is also a, a UFA this summer. He was a solid depth piece for them in their bottom six.

One final thought on, uh, on John Tavares here. I thought that Colorado did his camp a real solid with the Brock Nelson deal. Am I being overly simplistic on that? No, I think it's an easy correlator. That kind of number. Going back for a while, I was using Joe Pavelski, his deal, his three year, 21 million deal from a few years ago with Dallas, that's kind of the benchmark for him. And I thought, okay, well, maybe, you know, times have changed a little bit. He's willing to stay. Could it be in the sixes? And anything lower would be a sweetheart of a deal.

I think Toronto would sign up for something in that five range, but clearly it's a negotiation, so they're going through the motions right now. Uh, and there's still runway five. I reached out to his side as well about this. And they said, look, it's, you know, it's not July 1 yet. We still have some time to try to figure things out, but there is admittedly work to be done. So we'll see kind of what happens there on the Tobar's front.

But yeah, I think you're, I think you're right. I think Anaheim, I think a number of teams are gonna look at him as an option. Not just exclusively as a center, because he can slot on the left side as well. But for teams that want depth in their mid-six, or excuse me, in their top six, yeah, 91's gonna be an option. Rasmus Anderson and the Calgary Flames.

Dallas tried last year, but Calgary kept on winning. Tried on Kadri, tried on Rasmus Anderson, but like Calgary was in the playoff mix. Chances of Rasmus Anderson starting the season with Calgary are what you think Dave? A lot lower than they were a week ago. They had been going back and forth on negotiations, obviously on an extension, and still just

haven't been able to get there. And we're seeing other additional reports now that I think both sides have come to terms with the fact that they're going to be parting ways at some point. Craig Conroy is out there saying, I don't have to pull the trigger on it now. Yup. Yada, yada, yada, negotiation, whatever. I'm not going to show all your cards just yet, but I do anticipate a move happening. I think it's going to happen between now and the end of the month.

Could it be a round draft? Perhaps. We'll see how itchy everyone's trigger fingers get. But at 4.55, he's got a limited no trade with just 16s on his list of no trade list, excuse me. So there's a lot of flexibility from from their side of things. Columbus is another team to look at. Carolina, I believe, as well and the Ottawa Senators. But I do think there are going to be a few other teams

that are looking at that right handed option. And if teams don't pounce now, they may wait to see what happens with, say, an Aaron Echlad, who's also a right shot guy. If he is available July 1, some teams may wait. Other teams may not want to wait and may join the pull the trigger here from Calgary side. Um, of all the names we hear on the Buffalo Sabres, and we're going to throw Mattias Samuelsson's name in that mix very much now. Uh, I've been mentioning for a while that internally the team believes, um, their defense is too young

and they need more veteran guys back there. I wonder if that comes from Lindy Ruff specifically, but I digress. Byron, Peturka, Samuelson, maybe someone I'm missing here, Dave. Who's the most interesting name to you? Well, Peturka is certainly the one that's been generating the most interest now because there was the belief around the league that he didn't want to stay there, um, that he wants to change. And then that belief has been amplified and reinforced over the last little bit.

Um, to be true. And I think there is a lot of frustration with a lot of players there that wouldn't mind that type of change, uh, but you can't get rid of everybody. So they've got to kind of pick their battles in terms of who they want to move out. They don't want to trade JJ Peturka. But it's not to say that he's there being handcuffed. But just the writing is on the wall and they're trying to see what the best package is available for them. Now, whether it's him, whether it's Bowen Byrom, some teams continue to poke around on Alex Tuck. And I can tell you, I wrote about it over the weekend that they haven't started negotiations

yet. I know there's some reports out there. I think I haven't seen them, but people keep tweeting at me that they have talked and they have exchanged numbers. I'm told that's not true. But they are going to get to it eventually. It's not a matter of them pushing off contract negotiations because they're trying to trade him. They obviously have a lot of fish to fry and they want to keep Alex tuck in the fold unless somebody completely blows them out of the water. But Paturka, Byram, if they do move these guys or when they do move these guys, because it looks like it's going to happen, it's for immediate help. They're not looking at futures anymore. They want to revamp this roster to your point on D.

They want to bring in some veteran pieces, not just there, but in this roster to insulate some of those younger guys. So if they can pull something off involving one, both Stamuelson as well, other pieces, um, then I think that's something that, that they'll entertain. If it, if it again means bringing immediate help. I was told the team poke around and offered a first round pick plus plus plus for one of their forwards. But again, not looking at futures. They want players. Exactly. They want players. Yeah, they can't keep beating this rebuild course any longer. It's time to make the playoffs. It's time to, you know, water, get off the pot.

Um, and, and that's why they brought in Yarmou. That's why they brought in, um, Eric Stahl as well to help insulate the management as much as they need to insulate the roster. Uh, you know, with, with Paterka, one final thing, like that's not that it should matter. And we saw this before with Zemgas-Gergonsons. That's, um, that's Terry Pagula's favorite player on the team. He loves JJ. You have to keep the owner happy, but not at the expense of hockey operations. But man, it's just like another sort of wrinkle into all... I'm just told that Pagula loves this guy.

Just loves him. Which makes sense as to why they've been so adamantly messing up until recently. Totally. Um, so, so not wanting to move them, but, uh, yeah, push comes to shove and, and, um, I don't know how in-depth the conversations have been with Alan Walsh, his agent. Um, but if, if, you know, Alan has a good way of making sure things go his way when needed and we'll see if how much of an influence this has on these trade talks.

Close on this one. I just got a text saying, ask Dave if he's heard anything on Jordan Cairo of the St. Louis Blues. They're going to change their logo tomorrow, Dave. Are they going to change your forward too? Well, you know, Cairo's name and I know he's no move kicks in July one. Cairo's name popped up towards the later part of the trade season, mid season, end of February, beginning of March leading up to the trade deadline.

There was a little bit of talk also last summer with respect to when St. Louis was kind of poking around on Mitch Marner back then. His name had popped up. Obviously that didn't get anywhere. But his name has popped up obviously that didn't get anywhere but His name has popped up on occasion I mean if they're if they're gonna if st. Louis is gonna pull something off whether it's with you know Armstrong slash steam That are kind of directing that It's gonna take one hell of a package for them to make something like that happen

I'm I the one thing that I had heard and I haven't validated it yet, but it started to make the rounds a little bit with St. Louis' poking around a little bit on Noah Dobson. I wonder if maybe that's an area with the Islanders looking at offense that maybe that's somewhere to at least start a discussion. I don't know definitively if that's happened or not, but I wouldn't be surprised over this next week to see his name out there. I wouldn't be surprised if I get asked more about him. But it's gonna take one heck of a deal in order for St. Louis to pull the trigger

on something like that. Because they're also looking to remain competitive and he's a big part of their top six. Absolutely. Okay, listen, great stuff. You can drive again now, by the way. Thanks for playing over and keeping everybody safe on the road.

You're the best. They've always appreciated a pal, be well. You and keeping everybody safe on the road. You're the best, Dave. Always appreciate it, pal, be well. You got it, buddy. Take it easy. ["Dark Man"] Lost all ambitions day to day Guess you can call it a rut I went to the dark man He tried to give me a little medicine I'm like, nah man, that's fine

I'm right against those methods but I knew It's me, myself and how this gon' be fixing my mind I do wanna break it I turned on the music I still want to break it I turn on the music I stand up there, battle, and think Your time's losing

Helping on the days that went wrong Hockey fans, mark your calendars. The daily Face Off Live free agency special is coming on July 1st at 11am Eastern. Join me, Tyler Uremchuk, alongside former NHLers Carter Hutton and Matthew Barnaby, plus analysts Jeff Merrick, Colby Cohn, Johnny Lazarus, and Hart Levine of Puckpedia, plus a full lineup of insiders from across the network. We're bringing you three hours of comprehensive real-time coverage of the NHL free agency window. We'll be breaking down every major signing, analyzing team-by-team impacts, predicting what comes next for the league's biggest names, and delivering you the latest news as it happens.

If you want expert insight, live reactions and a front row seat to one of the most exciting days on the hockey calendar, this is the show you don't want to miss. Tune in live on July 1st at 11am Eastern on the Daily Face Off YouTube channel for the Daily Face Off Live free agency special brought to you by The Nation Network.