Mason McTavish is drawing trade interest this offseason, and the Anaheim Ducks are listening. The 23-year-old center is in the second season of a six-year, $42-million contract, so any move would be a long-term roster decision, not a short-term rental.
Calgary Flames And Flyers
The Calgary Flames have already called on McTavish, but they do not feel they have what the Ducks are looking for in return. The Philadelphia Flyers have also been keeping tabs, with their focus on adding a center all offseason and their belief that he is a true center.
That matters because Pat Verbeek is looking to make hockey deals, not just move a name off the board. The asking side is weighing a 23-year-old who produced 17 goals and 41 points in 75 regular season games last season, then added one goal and six points in 10 playoff contests.
McTavish And The Ducks
McTavish’s role in Anaheim shifted last season. He played on the wing at times and was a healthy scratch for a handful of games, while the Ducks used Leo Carlsson, Mikael Granlund and Ryan Poehling down the middle in the top nine and often leaned on Cutter Gauthier, Chris Kreider, Beckett Sennecke and Troy Terry in the top six.
He is locked in at a $7-million AAV for another five years after signing his six-year, $42-million contract late last September. That price point, paired with a year that fell short of his earlier 22-goal, 52-point campaign, has pulled his value lower across the league than it was a season ago.
Cam York For The Flyers
One name that could fit a hockey deal is Cam York. He is 25 years old, set to enter the second season of a five-year, $25.75-million contract, and he scored the series-clinching overtime goal versus the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. He is also a native of Anaheim.
The Minnesota Wild have not reached out on McTavish, so the market has not widened evenly across the NHL. For Verbeek, the next step is finding a return that matches a center with age, term and a down season in a market that has already moved fast over the last nine days.
