ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and incoming general manager Alexander Steen may have found another high-end, early-20s player for their new core.
The Blues are one of two teams involved in trade talks with the Anaheim Ducks regarding forward Mason McTavish, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, who cited a league source granted anonymity so they could speak about a negotiation that’s not public. The New York Rangers are reportedly the other team.
This makes a lot of sense for the Blues.
They have been steadfast in their pursuit of players between 23 and 26 years old, bringing in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers two years ago to help accelerate a retool featuring many promising draft picks.
McTavish, 23, was the No. 3 pick in 2021. He’s a 6-foot-1, 219-pound left-shot center who can also play the wing. In 304 NHL games, he has 77 goals and 181 points. Across 75 games last season, he had 17 goals and 41 points.
The Ducks finished third in the Pacific Division with 92 points in 2025-26, reaching the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. During the season, however, as The Athletic’s Eric Stephens wrote, veteran Mikael Granlund took over what appeared to be McTavish’s spot as the second-line center. That move pushed McTavish to the left wing.
McTavish, who was in the first season of a six-year, $42 million contract, was a healthy scratch under coach Joel Quenneville in the regular season and in the postseason.
After Anaheim lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the playoffs, McTavish was asked what it would take for him to bounce back in 2026-27.
“Round out my defensive game,” McTavish told reporters. “That’s probably a big thing. It kind of got better toward the end. And I think just foot speed, too. Maybe come in a little lighter. I haven’t put too much thought into what my summer’s going to look like yet. … But obviously, I think foot speed and maybe come in a bit lighter, quicker, I think could go a long way.”
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek offered his own outlook on the subject.
“If we were to critique Mason, it’s probably just more consistency from night to night. Which ultimately would lead to more ice time, which would mean to never getting healthy scratched,” Verbeek said. “There’s lots of pressures when new contracts come out on younger players, and so sometimes that can affect them in a negative way. Whether the pressure is putting too much pressure on themselves — and I think that happens, that happens a lot and it’s very common — next year there’s nothing to worry about as far as contract. He can play a more free game on the ice and not worry about the pressure.”
The Blues aren’t just looking for talented young players, though. They’re looking for help at center.
Robert Thomas is the clear-cut No. 1 there, but having McTavish could ease the burden on Dalibor Dvorsky, who was the No. 10 pick in 2023.
Dvorsky, 21, played his first full NHL season in 2025-26 and showed glimpses of excellence with 12 goals and 21 points in 71 games. He also tied Jimmy Snuggerud for the team lead in power-play goals with five.
Having McTavish and Dvorsky in the middle on the second and third lines would strengthen the position.
Dalibor Dvorsky had stretches of strong play at center during his first season but would benefit from fresh help. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
There should be some pause, however, considering a veteran coach such as Quenneville had to put McTavish in the press box last season. It makes you wonder whether there are issues with him understanding what it takes to be a consistent player in the league.
That’s not to mention that McTavish would come at a steep cost. It’s not known what Anaheim’s ask would be: players, prospects, picks or a combination.
Either way, the Blues have plenty of everything, especially picks. They’re scheduled to have four in the first round Friday night, after picking up another in the Jordan Kyrou trade to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
Armstrong was vocal in telling GMs he’s open for business, whether that’s trading up in the draft or acquiring established players. It’s worth noting that the Ducks don’t currently have a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
Even with those questions still open, picking up McTavish fits with where the Blues want to go.