With Marco Rossi off the board, the top remaining restricted-free agent at forward is almost certainly Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish. The 22-year-old remains unsigned as September nears, pushing him to the very top of late-summer trade rumors. But despite growing discussion of a potential move, Eric Stephens of The Athletic emphasized that McTavish isn’t going anywhere.
In a recent mailbag, Stephens pointed out that – while plenty of teams need high-upside forwards – the Ducks have far too much need for their own center with upside. He added that the holdup in re-signing McTavish is the team’s desire to avoid a bridge contract, and ink one of their top scorers to a long-term contract.
McTavish always seemed unlikely to part from the Anaheim organization. He plays a style that’s confidently in-line with the preference of general manager Pat Verbeek, and both former head coach Greg Cronin and future head coach Joel Quenneville. McTavish was also one of the Ducks’ top offensive pieces last season, leading the team with 22 goals and ranking second with 52 points through 76 games on the season. The only player to outscore the young center was veteran winger Troy Terry, who finished the year with 55 points.
That’s a glowing performance for a player so young. While many players his age are still working towards breaking into the NHL, McTavish has already firmly planted his feet. He’s totaled 58 goals and 137 points in 220 games over the last three seasons – an average of 22 goals and 51 points per every 82 games. The 2021 third-overall selection also worked his way up to an even plus-minus last season, after recording a minus-19 and minus-23 in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons respectively.
More than finding his way to the top of Anaheim’s scoring charts, McTavish’s seemed to find a new layer of confidence last season. He emerged as one of the club’s top play-drivers, and the perfect skillful compliment to the brute of Leo Carlsson. That mental improvement, and lineup fit, should set McTavish up for a huge season next year. He’ll enter the season as perhaps the best bet for the top-line center role under Quenneville’s guidance.
With a 30-goal and 60-point season seemingly within reach for McTavish, it only makes sense that Anaheim want to solidify his salary for the future as soon as they can. But finding the right price will be a challenge. The Chicago Blackhawks recently signed 21-year-old Frank Nazar to a seven-year, $46.2MM contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks. That deal came after Nazar played in just 56 career games, and scored at 40-point pace.
Those numbers are far flatter than the 60 goals and 140 points McTavish has totaled in 229 career games – likely earning the Ducks’ star a salary far above Nazar’s $6.6MM cap hit. Anaheim may need to be ready to spend $7MM or even $8MM on McTavish in order to buy a long-term extension. While that will require careful budgeting, it will put no stress on the Ducks’ 2025-26 season. They sit with more than $20.5MM in available cap space entering next season, with only McTavish left to sign.
A hardy extension for McTavish could be the Ducks’ first true stride towards a new era. He’s a high-impact centerman, with the skill to drive play and the heft to fit in a physical Ducks lineup. While rumors continue to swirl, Stephens assures that Anaheim will take that step forward sooner rather than later.