{"id":473252,"date":"2025-08-10T16:03:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T20:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=473252"},"modified":"2025-08-10T16:03:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T20:03:27","slug":"nhl-rumours-update-on-anaheim-ducks-situation-with-key-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/08\/10\/nhl-rumours-update-on-anaheim-ducks-situation-with-key-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: Update on Anaheim Ducks\u2019 Situation with Key Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for another edition of NHL Rumours. While the off-season rolls on, several high-profile restricted free agents remain unsigned. One of the most notable names still on the board is Anaheim Ducks<\/a> centre Mason McTavish<\/a>. The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal, and negotiations with general manager Pat Verbeek<\/a> have yet to produce a new contract. The Ducks<\/a> have cap flexibility, but their patient GM is known for taking his time to secure the right deal.<\/p>\n

All NHL rumours<\/a> come from the original source and are subject to change.<\/p>\n

NHL Rumours: Mason McTavish<\/a> Contract Talks with Anaheim Ducks<\/h2>\n

Rumour: Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reports<\/a> it is \u201chard to see a world\u201d where Verbeek trades McTavish, describing him as a long-term core piece. Verbeek\u2019s negotiating style\u2014honed under Steve Yzerman<\/a>\u2014often involves playing out situations where he holds leverage. Meanwhile, Sportsnet notes the Ducks have yet to exchange contract numbers as of mid-June, though comparables like JJ Peterka<\/a>, Matthew Knies<\/a>, and Quinton Byfield<\/a>\u2019s $6.25m AAV extension could frame the talks.<\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis: <\/strong><\/em>Mason McTavish posted 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points last season, ranking in the 70th percentile for scoring among forwards. The Athletic’s model<\/a> pegs his market value around $5 million, so a $6-7m AAV would not be an overpay, especially considering the rising salary cap. His +7 offensive rating highlights his role as an elite play driver, while his defensive metrics remain an area for improvement. With Trevor Zegras<\/a> traded <\/a>in part to solidify McTavish\u2019s spot as the club\u2019s second centre, Anaheim\u2019s internal plan clearly revolves around keeping him. Fans should expect a Mason McTavish contract before the season begins in October.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Why Things Could Go Wrong<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rumour: Both Daily Faceoff and Sportsnet point to the risk of strained relations if negotiations drag on.<\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/em><\/strong> While Anaheim<\/a> holds the upper hand\u2014McTavish lacks arbitration rights and is offer-sheet eligible but easily matchable\u2014the danger lies in pushing too hard. A prolonged negotiation standoff, a situation Verbeek regularly finds himself in, could damage trust, especially for a young player already entrenched in the leadership group and as a core piece.<\/p>\n

Why McTavish Will Stay<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rumour: Management views McTavish as a \u201cvery important\u201d player to the organization.<\/em><\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/em><\/strong> Anaheim has over $30 million in cap space, a proven willingness to spend on core talent, and no intention of trading their franchise centre. Whether it\u2019s a bridge deal or mid-term contract, the Ducks can match any outside offer, making his departure highly improbable. This is something we broke down even further in a recent article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What a New Mason McTavish Contract Means to the Ducks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Signing McTavish would lock in a high-end centre for the foreseeable future, ensuring the Ducks\u2019 rebuild stays centred around him, Leo Carlsson<\/a>, and Cutter Gauthier<\/a>. It would also set a financial benchmark for future deals with other young stars. In the immediate term, it stabilizes the lineup and gives Anaheim another offensive focal point that they need heading into 2025\u201326.<\/p>\n

Main Photo by: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for another edition of NHL Rumours. While the off-season rolls on, several high-profile restricted free agents remain unsigned. One of the most notable names still on the board is Anaheim Ducks centre Mason McTavish. The 22-year-old is coming off his entry-level deal, and negotiations with general manager Pat Verbeek have yet to produce […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5399,"featured_media":463487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,4547,34,4548,4321],"tags":[6492,6752,2611,1880,3806],"class_list":["post-473252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ducks","category-hockey","category-news","category-nhl","category-rumours","tag-anaheim-ducks-rumours","tag-mason-mctavish","tag-pat-verbeek","tag-rfa","tag-trevor-zegras"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5399"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473252"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":473269,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473252\/revisions\/473269"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/463487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}