The Blues didn’t just add Mason McTavish on draft day - they paid for a player they believe can step into a major role right away. And the role waiting for him is clear: second-line center behind Robert Thomas.
That’s the job St. Louis needs filled, and it’s the job McTavish has to win. Right now, there isn’t another center on the roster who looks ready to handle it, and the prospects closest to NHL readiness still aren’t close enough to solve the problem.
The price was steep. The Blues sent two of their four first-round picks to Anaheim for McTavish, a 23-year-old center whose stock had dipped after a rough season in the first year of his six-year, $7-million AAV contract extension. He had also been a healthy scratch during the Ducks’ Stanley Cup playoff run, which only added fuel to the trade talk that had been circling him for months.
Still, the upside is obvious enough to justify the gamble. McTavish was the third-overall pick in the 2021 draft, and that kind of pedigree still carries weight even when the early results haven’t matched the billing.
The concerns are real, though. His skating has been questioned, his defensive game has been shaky, and his faceoff numbers sit below 50 percent.
If he can’t stick at center, the Blues could end up looking at a middle-six winger - a tough return for two first-round picks.
There are reasons to think a reset could help. McTavish spent the start of the 2025-26 season in a contract stalemate, missing camp before finally signing.
That kind of delay can stall a player’s momentum, and the Ducks’ general manager, Pat Verbeek, has built a reputation for hardball negotiations. He took the same approach with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, and both players are now with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers even tried to pry away a third former Duck, making an offer sheet to Leo Carlsson as Verbeek again pushed one of his restricted free agents into a standoff.
Zegras and Drysdale have looked more like themselves since leaving Anaheim. Zegras posted career highs in goals and points in his first season in Philadelphia, while Drysdale has grown into a legit top-four defenseman and, by the source’s account, keeps improving. That’s the kind of evidence that makes a fresh start feel meaningful, and McTavish is now in position to benefit from the same kind of change.
He’ll also be joining a veteran group, which should help. And with the second-line center spot open, the path is there for him to claim it. Tynan Lawrence is still a couple of years away, and Dalibor Dvorsky hasn’t taken hold of the role yet.
For the Blues, the equation is simple. If they want any real shot at the postseason in a crowded Central Division, McTavish has to start looking like the player that third-overall draft slot promised.
In Other News...
This Could Be The Season Blues Finally Find Elite Scoring
The Blues spent the offseason reshaping the roster, and the early read on the forward group is a lot more intriguing than it was a year ago. Jimmy Snuggerud, Dylan Holloway and Mason McTavish all arrive with the kind of upside that can change the tone of an offense, and each has a path to becoming a major scoring threat if the roles break right.
Snuggerud already showed he can finish at the NHL level with a strong rookie season, while Holloway is stepping into a new opportunity and McTavish is still sorting out where he fits best in the lineup. The upside is obvious, but the real question for St. Louis is whether those projections turn into a balanced top six that can finally give the club the kind of elite scoring it has been chasing. [Read more 🡒]
That Jets Collapse May Have Changed Everything For The Blues
The Blues first-round loss to Winnipeg in the 2024-25 playoffs still hangs over the organization because it was the kind of series that can alter a teams direction for years. St. Louis had a chance to build on that matchup and see how far a veteran core could carry it, but instead the season ended with more questions than answers and a familiar sense that the franchise was standing at a crossroads.
A deeper run would have changed the conversation around the 2025-26 offseason, where the Blues still had to navigate a roster in transition and decide how aggressively to push their next move. Even now, the club is moving toward a younger core, but the what-if around Winnipeg lingers because one playoff series can shape how long a team believes its window stays open and how bold it is willing to be when the summer arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Prospect System Is Getting Respect But One Debate Isn't Going Away
The Blues prospect stock is drawing more attention than it has in a while, and Scott Wheelers latest Top 100 list is a good reminder of why. St. Louis landed four names on the board, plus two honorable mentions, giving the organization a little more credibility in a conversation that has often centered on whether the pipeline has enough to support the NHL roster down the road.
Still, the bigger debate around the system is not going away just because the rankings look healthier. The group has depth at several positions, but it still lacks the kind of true difference-maker that changes the ceiling of an entire organization, which is why the conversation around the Blues future feels promising and unfinished at the same time. [Read more 🡒]