Restricted free agent Mason McTavish signed a six-year, $42 million contract to remain with the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.
McTavish, 22, who had not been in training camp with the Ducks while negotiations were ongoing, scored a team-high 22 goals last season. That was a career-high for McTavish, as was his total of 30 assists.
Verbeek said McTavish has a limited no-trade clause in the final two years of the contract.
“Today is an exciting day for me and my family to commit my long-term future to the Anaheim Ducks,” McTavish said. “I believe in the direction of this organization and the group we have in the locker room. We’re building something special and I want to help this team take the next step toward becoming a consistent playoff contender and, ultimately, a championship team.”
“Mason is a key part of our team, and we’re excited to reach a long-term agreement that reflects his importance to our future,” Verbeek said in a team-issued statement. “He’s a highly skilled, physical, and competitive player who plays the game the right way. Mason has already made a significant impact at a young age, and we’re confident he’ll continue to grow into a top player as we build toward sustained success.”
McTavish is expected to fly to Southern California this weekend and take part in his first practice with the Ducks on Monday. The center often skated with teammates in unofficial workouts before flying to Ottawa on Sept. 15 to practice informally with the Ottawa 67s.
“Both of us, we have our processes,” Verbeek said of himself and McTavish’s agent, Pat Morris. “He has his way of negotiating and I have mine. But I think ultimately both sides realize you have to get the player into camp. The player wants to be in camp and so you work towards compromising for that to get done. That was basically how it went last couple of days actually. It was just a process.”
McTavish, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2021, has 60 goals and 80 assists in 229 NHL games.
What it means for the lineup
Getting his second-line center signed long-term was crucial for Verbeek, who had difficult negotiations with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale as RFAs in 2023, and ultimately traded them to the Philadelphia Flyers in separate transactions. Verbeek and the Ducks, however, have viewed McTavish as a true part of the young core they’ve put together as they attempt to become a consistent playoff contender.
Verbeek said of the negotiation process: “I think that’s just the nature of the beast. It’s just the way it happens. Every agent has a process. We have a process that we go through. You like to get these things finished earlier than later but they just play themselves out. This thing was no different than the last time with Jamie and Trevor. I think this time around we got it done much earlier than last time.”
With McTavish and 20-year-old Leo Carlsson, Anaheim has a potentially high-impact tag team atop its center chart for the foreseeable future. But the Ducks will now turn their attention to Carlsson, whose entry-level contract ends after this season. He can reach RFA status next summer. McTavish’s deal is important in that it can serve as a gauge for what Carlsson might make, given how he performs this season. Like McTavish, Carlsson had a strong second half to 2024-25 and figures to top the 20 goals and 45 points he recorded under former head coach Greg Cronin.
How the finances work out
McTavish’s $7 million AAV matches winger Troy Terry and new free agent Mikael Granlund for the highest among forwards on the Ducks. (Defenseman Jacob Trouba has this year’s $8 million remaining on his contract). The Ducks not only have Carlsson coming off his entry-level deal next year but also have left wing Cutter Gauthier and defensemen Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger as potential prominent RFAs. LaCombe is the only one who can become eligible for salary arbitration.
Salary cap space shouldn’t be a major issue as the Ducks could free up an additional $16 million if they choose not to extend Trouba, Gudas or goalie Petr Mrazek. It is possible they could re-sign any of those three at lower rates than they are currently making.
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
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