- Eric Francis reports the Flames made a serious run at trading for Mason McTavish
- Calgary couldn’t top the Blues’ offer of the No. 15 and No. 29 picks
- Read below for what the Flames were willing to give up and where they go next
The Flames wanted Mason McTavish. They just couldn’t get him.
Sportsnet’s Eric Francis reported this week that Calgary took a serious run at McTavish before the Ducks shipped the young center to St. Louis last week:
St. Louis won the bidding with the No. 15 and No. 29 picks in this year’s draft. Calgary held the sixth overall selection and had no interest in handing that over.
The Flames also owned the 30th pick, but that package came nowhere near the value of the 15th. Alexander Steen and the Blues wrapped it up on draft night:
McTavish is the kind of player a rebuilding club chases. The 22-year-old racked up 41 points in 75 games last season, then added six more in 10 playoff games as Anaheim pushed to the second round. The Ducks took him third overall back in 2021.
Calgary already spent draft capital this summer, sending multiple picks to bring in Simon Nemec. The plan isn’t to rush the rebuild. It’s to load up on young players who will hit their prime as the Flames climb back into the mix, and McTavish checked every box.
Francis says the hunt for a center in the 21-to-23 range isn’t over in Calgary.
McTavish will line up in St. Louis instead, and the Flames go back to chasing the young center they’ve wanted all along.
