In the modern NHL, young stars are now demanding to be paid fairly for their on-ice performance, no longer arbitrarily limited due to their age. Now, young players coming out of their entry-level contracts are looking for massive paydays, and under the hard salary cap of the NHL, it can be difficult to afford for competitive teams.
Players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have set the trend of getting paid out of their entry-level deals. Now, it appears Trevor Zegras is taking a lesson from his peers. Zegras is currently unsigned but remains with the Ducks organization as a Restricted Free Agent. While there is seemingly no threat of an offer sheet, there's certainly a a significant gap between the two parties.
In years past, players of Zegras' caliber would receive long-term deals at moderate cap hits. Now, it looks like the two parties are unable to reach a deal on a long-term contract and instead will try to work a bridge contract to get Zegras onto the roster as soon as possible.
A bridge deal does offer some benefits to both parties. It gives Zegras an opportunity to renegotiate in two or three years, and evaluate the competing future of the team, while also giving the Ducks front office more information on the caliber of player Zegras will be. In 81 games last season, Zegras put up 23 goals and a total of 65 points.
