The St. Louis Blues decided to make a big splash in the offseason.
Armed with solid draft capital in the years ahead, the Blues used some of it to trade with the Anaheim Ducks for Mason McTavish.
McTavish had already established himself as a solid goal scorer, while the Blues traded away the uncertainty of the future for his young talent in the present.
So far, it looks pretty great for St. Louis.
Mason McTavish Trade
The Blues and Ducks completed their McTavish trade on June 26 during the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Blues sent two 2026 first-round picks, Nos. 15 and 29, to get McTavish.
The Ducks used the 15th pick on Nikita Klepov, and then they moved out of the 29th spot for other future assets.
Klepov actually recently made his NHL debut for the Ducks, but at just 18, he could very well see more time in the minor leagues this season than the major leagues.
The Klepov pick looked exciting on paper. He had 97 points in 67 games in the OHL last season.
The Blues could’ve also benefited from getting a player like Klepov, but they likely feel they’ve got someone that good and already established in the form of McTavish.
Mason McTavish With Blues
The thing about McTavish is that it wasn’t a case of getting an old player for some draft picks.
McTavish is 23 years old and will turn 24 at the end of January.
He was just the No. 3 overall pick by the Ducks in the 2021 NHL Draft, and he’s mostly looked like a legitimate NHL talent at center since then.
He was coming off a slight decline in 2025-26, when he had just 17 goals and 24 assists (41 points) in 75 games.
This season, though, he already has two goals and two assists for four points through five games. McTavish has added nine hits and fired 17 shots on goal.
The Blues are using him for 15 minutes and 54 seconds of average ice time per game so far, so he’s making the most of his opportunities.
The Ducks may have traded McTavish in part because talented young players who establish themselves as key pieces often get big contracts, and by essentially backing up their timeline by drafting Klepov, Anaheim doesn’t have to hand out that money yet.
But for the Blues, they’ve been worried about in recent seasons for having a few too many older players. McTavish was just the right guy for St. Louis to take a chance on to balance out the age of their roster.
And if McTavish keeps playing like this, the Blues sure will be happy they have him.
Blues Already Reaping Rewards of Mason McTavish Trade With Ducks