{"id":375294,"date":"2026-06-26T02:28:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/375294\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T02:28:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:28:08","slug":"blues-named-as-second-team-vying-for-a-rising-star-in-anaheim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/375294\/","title":{"rendered":"Blues named as second team vying for a rising star in Anaheim"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Louis Blues General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Doug Armstrong has been very busy in his last draft as the head man. He moved Jordan Kyrou to secure a fourth first-round pick<\/a>, and now it seems that he is once again pushing this franchise into the rumor mill. <\/p>\n

Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish has been elevated to one of the highest sought-after players at this NHL Draft\/Free Agency period. The New York Rangers have elevated talks to grab him for their own retooling phase, but they are not the only ones. <\/p>\n

Enter Armstrong and the Blues, who are now on the upswing from their selling spree. <\/p>\n

Hearing it\u2019s the Blues and Rangers that have offers in to Anaheim on Mason McTavish.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 26, 2026<\/a>Another Center?<\/p>\n

This is a bold move for Armstrong, but a smart one. As it stands, with the acquisition of Connor McMichael from Washington, the other three centers are Pius Suter, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Robert Thomas. <\/p>\n

Obviously, Thomas is going nowhere<\/a>, and Dvorsky is somewhat protected, as there is a certain expectation of greatness that may happen with him. Suter is a tricky case, as he is a safe option, but not one that will necessarily push the needle on this retooling franchise. <\/p>\n

Grabbing McTavish is a brilliant move, as now there is a four-way battle for three spots behind Thomas. It also gives an incentive for listening to any offers on Suter, should he be the odd man out. <\/p>\n

It is important to note that McTavish can also play on the left-side, if need be.<\/p>\n

What McTavish could bring?<\/p>\n

A 23-year-old who averages in the high 40s to low 50s in points for his first four full seasons in the NHL. McTavish would be a nice addition as he is needing of a fresh start, and what is fresher than a team that is going all-in on the players under the age of 24, 25 years old. <\/p>\n

He reached a career high of 95 hits last season, and can contribute well on the power play with six goals with the man-advantage in each of the last two seasons. <\/p>\n

The Blues are going to be paying him $7 million AAV through the 2030-31 season, should they choose to take him. He cannot eat up third-line minutes with that kind of salary, so Armstrong is going to have to really be sure he is not leaving a big problem for GM-to-be Alexander Steen. <\/p>\n

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