It's never going to end well when a young player like Mason McTavish becomes a scratch in the Anaheim Ducks' lineup for two consecutive games. McTavish sat out Anaheim's victory over the Montreal Canadiens this past Sunday night and will sit again when the Ducks play old friend Trevor Zegras and the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night. With the Boston Bruins thinking about swinging a big trade to upgrade their team this offseason, McTavish could be a name to watch around the league.
The Ducks aren't just going to give up on McTavish for nothing. The young center was a holdout for part of training camp as the two sides worked through their contract differences, and they eventually settled on a six-year deal with an average annual value of $7 million. When McTavish is at his best, it's a great deal, but he has just 32 points this season and has just one assist in his last eight games.
Unfortunately for McTavish, it's a poor first impression for a no-nonsense head coach like Joel Quenneville. The Ducks' first-year bench boss has no ties to the roster, and if a player falls out of favor, it's going to be hard for him to get back in his good graces. It's why the writing could be on the wall for McTavish and the Ducks.
Mason McTavish and the Boston Bruins
The Bruins reportedly had interest in Robert Thomas at the trade deadline to help the team's center depth. The asking price was simply too high, and McTavish's price won't be too light either, but it'd still be a chance to get him at a pretty low value, especially if he continues to struggle this season. With the Ducks playing well, an extended playoff run with McTavish spending games in the press box will destroy his trade value.
The deal may not be as easy as Matthew Poitras and a first-round pick, but the Bruins do have some assets to move to get the trade done. There is eventually going to be a logjam of players ready to take the next step at the same time, and moving a couple of them out to add a solid middle-six center isn't the worst idea in the world, especially with the doubts about how Elias Lindholm's contract is about to age.
If the Bruins are going to make a move this summer, a buy-low option like McTavish is the correct move. Ironically, Elliotte Friedman compared McTavish to Jeremy Swayman in his latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, saying that it could be a scenario where the center struggles in the year where he had a contract holdout and then breaks out the following year. Bruins fans can only hope that the scenario plays out with him in a Boston uniform.
The Bruins have done too well rebuilding the pipeline to sell it all again for Thomas. If the price for McTavish is much better with the player at a lower cap hit and three years younger, it could line up better for the Bruins.