Both players reject

Would you say add an extra 1 million to both players and change Drysdale's contract to 2 years

Would you say add an extra 1 million to both players and change Drysdale's contract to 2 years

Maybe add two million but I would just sign them to eight years

It will probably take ~7M to bridge Zegras. 3.5-4M for Drysdale, like Byram.

As for the hot takes, #3 is the only 1 I see as possible

2. ANA move out of the basement but still don't make the playoffs

Easy pick. Anaheim won't be a good team but San Jose is lining up to be one of the all time bad teams.

I feel like the most Z could see on a bridge is 6-6.5, otherwise might as well add a mill and get him on an 8 year deal.

Funny you thought #3, I would have picked that last simply for the plus/minus lol. Also not super confident he'll reach PPG status. Z was a -24 last year and while I see an improvement there, that is a lot to make up for a team that figures to be bottom 10 in the league. I'd go #2 and #6, both for the improvements defensively that were made. Adding Gudas, (hopefully) getting JD back, and hell even Lyubushkin is an upgrade from most of D core from last year. Add to that a defense first coach and that should help Gibby not have to face 40 shots a night. I am of the opinion that Gibby is not washed, just asked to do too much, I think he rebounds in a big way this year.

The case with Zegras contract really isn't that different than it was for Tkachuk, Marner, Point, Boeser, etc a few years ago.

I also don't think he will simply sign for 8M either. He's been far more productive than any of Hughes, Stutzle, or Cozens prior to their extensions.
Hughes had 55 points in his first 119 games before signing (0.46 ppg).
Stutzle had 87 points in his first 132 games before signing (0.65 ppg).
Cozens had 94 points in his first 169 games before signing (0.56 ppg).
Zegras has 139 points in his first 180 games (0.77 ppg).

To me Z is clearly the highest producer of the 4 despite playing with the least support over the last 3 years (4 since Hughes entered the league a year before the other 3).

I also think both Z and the Ducks want a bridge deal. Unlike the other 3 Anaheim is still at least 3-4 years from coming out of the basement. Anaheim probably doesn't want to be half way done their contract term with him before they start turning around, they want to be at most 2 years into a long term deal. As for Trevor, he probably wants to bet on himself, take a bridge now get paid more in 2-3 years when the cap continues to go up.

For my hot take choice I think all are pretty unlikely but unless Gibson is traded there is zero chance he get to a .925 SV% this year with the Ducks d-core in front of him. Offensively I think the Ducks can actually produce so I see them loosing a bunch of games 3 - 4 (not including empty net goals).

I remember the Hughes contract being thought of as a huge gamble by many that of course is paying off in strides. But I think him being a first overall pick and being basically a year younger before signing also factors in a bit, but those are all really good comparables. If I'm Zegras I'm not signing an 8x8 because I know a bridge can max my money, but at the same time I can see why the Ducks wouldnt want to go higher than an 8x8 until Z can address some of the off the puck play and bad penalties. That said, I think gambles are necessary to fit a long term quality team under the cap. It seems both sides wanted a bridge, but we dont know who was the pusher of that. If the Ducks pushed it first, then I think thats a mistake. With where the cap will be when the Ducks are finally competitive, having Zegras anywhere under $9M would be amazing assuming he continues his progression

Also on Gibson, I honestly just saw "Gibson returns to form" and didnt really notice the 0.925. That might be a bit of a stretch, but I would really not be surprised at all to see him in the .910 - .915 range. The dude wants to compete, but because of the down years he's had under crappy defenses, there isnt a team willing to take the risk with his cap hit. I think he is coming out with a point to prove and a return to form absolutely puts his name right back into the trade rumors and he knows that