There are only a handful of remaining restricted free agents around the NHL with training camps now underway. One of those is Ducks center Mason McTavish, a player who there has been plenty of speculation about this offseason.
Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that discussions on a contract were last held on Monday. From there, McTavish flew to Ottawa to skate with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s to try to stay in playing condition while waiting for a deal to be finalized. LeBrun adds that the two sides are still apart on both term and money.
While it was speculated early on that Anaheim’s preference would be to sign the 22-year-old to a bridge deal as they did with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale (both since traded) in the past, recent reporting suggests that GM Pat Verbeek’s preference is to get a long-term deal in place. Eric Stephens of The Athletic adds (subscription link) that the desire to do a long-term agreement is mutual.
The price point of such a contract will be pricey. McTavish is coming off his best statistical season so far, one that saw him collect 22 goals and 30 assists in 76 games while primarily anchoring the second line. Meanwhile, his first two NHL campaigns saw him put up 43 and 42 points. Given his progress and draft status (he went third overall in 2021), it’s clear that both sides think he still has another level or two to get to offensively. In a long-term pact, Anaheim will be paying for that anticipated upside in the price tag.
Recent comparable long-term agreements across the NHL generally fall within the $7MM to $8MM range per season and there is often a premium paid for centers which only helps McTavish’s case. That means going that route would likely push his price past that of teammate Troy Terry, who checks in at $7MM and is Anaheim’s highest-paid forward. Terry has produced a higher point total than McTavish’s best in each of the last four seasons so it’s understandable that Verbeek might want to use Terry’s deal as an artificial ceiling. However, in this escalating salary cap environment, accomplishing that would be tricky.
While there was some speculation that McTavish’s camp would try to solicit an offer sheet, none came through and at this stage of the offseason, it’s even less likely to now. Considering that Anaheim has more than $20MM in cap space per PuckPedia, they would have easily been able to match, snuffing out any possible threat before it could even start.
Meanwhile, Verbeek told reporters today including Greg Beacham of the Associated Press that it’s “disappointing” that McTavish isn’t with the team to start camp. With a new coaching staff headlined by Joel Quenneville in place, the young forward will have a lot of catching up to do. That said, Verbeek also added that a lot of progress has been made over the summer before adding that “We’re closing in, I would say, but we’re not there yet.”
While Verbeek is no stranger to prolonged contract talks (something he has had with Zegras, Drysdale, and Terry, in particular), all of those deals were done by the start of the season. We’ll find out over the next couple of weeks if that streak will continue when it comes to McTavish.