Pat Verbeek pulled the trigger Friday night. The Anaheim Ducks have traded Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues, sending the 23-year-old center to Missouri in exchange for two 2026 first-round picks.
Per Frank Seravalli, Anaheim gets the Detroit pick at No. 15 overall and the Colorado pick at No. 29 overall.
Two firsts for a 23-year-old center on a $7 million cap hit who posted 41 points in 75 regular-season games. That's the deal.
McTavish finished the regular season at -15, with 17 goals and 24 assists. Six of those goals came on the power play, but his 5-on-5 game never matched the projection that came with being a third-overall pick.
In 10 playoff games, he managed 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points at +1. Better, but not a number that screams franchise centerpiece.
The Blues went 37-33-12 this season, finishing 23rd in the league with a -27 goal differential. Jim Montgomery's group scored just 231 goals in 82 games. They need center depth and offensive punch. McTavish theoretically addresses both.
What Anaheim gets in return shifts the entire rebuild timeline
Verbeek now holds the No. 15 and No. 29 picks in a draft already loaded with top-end talent. That's not bad. Combine those with what's already in the building, and this front office is stacking assets at a rate that makes you wonder if they're building a contender or just a very expensive lottery ticket.
The Ducks went 2-6-2 in their last 10 regular-season games. The offense was a problem all year. Anaheim scored 273 goals but allowed 287, running a -14 differential across 82 games.
Moving McTavish doesn't fix that. It accelerates the youth movement, for better or worse.
Cutter Gauthier posted 41 goals and Leo Carlsson added 29 this season. Those two are the spine of the rebuild now. McTavish, with his -15 and quiet stretches, may have been the odd one out in Joel Quenneville's long-term vision.
St. Louis gets a center with playoff upside, a live power-play trigger, and three remaining game-winning goals on the books. Doug Armstrong clearly thinks the raw material is still worth a significant price.
Whether McTavish thrives in a new city or quietly becomes the guy who was worth more as currency, that answer won't come quickly.
The Blues just handed Anaheim two of the highest picks they'll see in years. The pressure is now on Verbeek to nail them.
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Did the Ducks get enough value trading Mason McTavish for two first-round picks?
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