Here's Why Team USA Might Come To Regret Overlooking Flyers Forward Trevor Zegras

The rosters for Team USA men's and women's Olympic hockey teams were announced on Friday, and as was the case with Team Canada's reveal earlier in the week, there were some surprises.

But there's one name that didn't get a ton of buzz that I think the Americans could really regret, especially if they find themselves in any games that go beyond regulation early in the tournament: Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras.

Yeah, I know, I'm a Flyers fan, but hear me out…

First, let's look at the roster. It looks solid, but I see some problems.

This is going to be a very good team and still one of the gold medal favorites, but, just as Canada's GM Doug Armstrong did, it looks like Team USA boss Bill Guerin favored veterans.

READ: TEAM CANADA SNUBS BEDARD, ADDS MACKLIN CELEBRINI AND SOME TOM WILSON GRIT FOR 2026 OLYMPICS

Some omissions immediately came to mind. Like, how did point-per-game Montreal forward Cole Caufield get snubbed? He's playing at a point-per-game pace. Meanwhile, Rangers forwards JT Miller and Vincent Trocheck, who made the roster, are both sitting at 22 points through 35 and 28 games, respectively.

Maybe they fit the puzzle Guerin is trying to put together better — you may recall that in Miracle, Kurt Russell as the late great Herb Brooks says "I'm not lookin' for the best players, I'm lookin' for the right ones" — but based on current performance, Caufield should've been a no-brainer.

Same for Zegras, who has 39 points in 39 games.

But Zegras also has an X factor that should've put him over the edge, and that's the fact that he has the highest shootout success rate for players with over 20 attempts in NHL history.

Zegras has shown big improvements since arriving in Philadelphia, and is still one of the best there is in shootouts.  (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Zegras Could Have Been This Tournament's TJ Oshie

It's wild that the last time NHLers went to the Olympics was nearly 12 years ago in Sochi. The biggest thing people remember from that tournament was the legendary shootout that saw TJ Oshie win a thriller against the Russians.

This happened because of IIHF rules that allow for the same shooter to go repeatedly after the first five rounds. 

Sure, you don't want to plan for shootouts, but if you could've had a point-per-game player in Zegras — who also has a whopping 60.7 percent success rate in shootouts, per Statmuse — why not have him in your back pocket?

It's important to note that Zegras was not invited to Team USA's preseason camp, nor should he have been based on his performance the last couple of seasons when he played in Anaheim.

But this season, he's changed his game and become a much more effective playmaker who looks for open teammates more than he looks for highlight reel video game goals like he used to.

All I'm saying is that Zegras would've been a good fit on this roster, but if the Americans wind up in a preliminary round shootout and — god forbid — lose, they would be kicking themselves.