- The St. Louis Blues acquired center Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks for picks No. 15 and No. 29 in the 2026 NHL Draft
- McTavish, 23, carries a $7 million cap hit through 2030-31 after posting 41 points in 75 games last season
- Read below for the full trade breakdown and what this means for the Blues’ offseason
The Blues landed their biggest catch of draft night.
St. Louis acquired center Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks on Friday evening, sending picks No. 15 and No. 29 in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft to Anaheim in return, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet:
The Blues confirmed the deal shortly after:
McTavish put up 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 75 regular-season games for Anaheim in 2025-26 and added six points in 10 playoff games as the Ducks reached the second round. The 23-year-old center has 181 points (77 goals, 104 assists) across 304 career NHL games since being drafted third overall in 2021.
The price tag was steep. Both picks originally came to St. Louis through earlier trades, with the 15th selection acquired from Detroit and the 29th from Colorado. Anaheim used pick No. 15 to take winger Nikita Klepov from the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.
McTavish’s contract carries a $7 million average annual value through 2030-31, giving St. Louis a top-six center locked up for five more years. Doug Armstrong had been linked to McTavish for weeks, with multiple teams in the mix before the Blues ultimately closed the deal.
The former third-overall pick captained Team Canada to gold at the 2022 World Juniors and earned tournament MVP honors. He spent three seasons as an assistant captain in Anaheim before the Ducks moved him for draft capital.
St. Louis entered draft night with 13 picks and clearly prioritized adding a proven NHL center over stockpiling prospects. McTavish slots in alongside Connor McMichael, who the Blues acquired from Washington earlier this week, as part of a full-scale roster overhaul under Armstrong.
