The St. Louis Blues are six games into the 2026-27 season, and one of their biggest offseason swings is already looking sharp.
St. Louis sits at 3-2-1 with seven points, close behind the Colorado Avalanche for fourth in the Central Division, and Mason McTavish has quickly become the headliner.
McTavish has led the Blues with four goals, including two game winners, and he also tops the team with seven points. More important for St.
Louis, he’s looked like the answer at second-line center, a spot the club has been chasing for years. It’s still early, but the fit has been strong enough to make the trade feel like a major win.
The move itself came on draft day, when Doug Armstrong - in his final draft as general manager - sent the 15th and 29th picks in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for McTavish. Anaheim made him available after a rough season that saw him put up just 41 points in his fourth full NHL campaign, a year that suggested his growth had stalled.
There was still plenty to like about the deal from St. Louis’ side.
McTavish entered the league as the third-overall pick in 2021, and that kind of pedigree is hard to find on the market, especially for a 23-year-old center, even if he had been lining up on the wing with the Ducks. The Blues also got him at a reasonable cap hit with term: $7-million AAV through 2031.
Giving up two first-rounders was a steep price, but the odds of 29th overall becoming a regular NHL player were low enough to make the gamble a sound one.
It also fits a larger pattern for the Blues’ pro scouting group. They identified Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg as players who were being underused by the Edmonton Oilers and landed both through offer sheets. Those moves have paid off, and McTavish looks like another example of the front office betting on the right player.
No one is calling it a finished verdict after six games, but the early signs are strong. At 5-on-5, McTavish owns a 63.21 xGF%, per Natural Stat Trick, which ranks third among regular Blues forwards.
He’s driving play at even strength and giving St. Louis the secondary scoring it has needed behind its top line.
If this keeps up, the Blues may have pulled off one of the cleaner trades of the offseason.
In Other News...
Blues Rolled Ottawa But One Lingering Problem Still Looks Serious
The Blues lopsided win over Ottawa had plenty to like, from strong contributions across the lineup to a scoreboard that never really let the Senators back in. Pius Suter, Colton Parayko, Mason McTavish, Jake Neighbours and Adam Jiricek were all part of a night that gave St. Louis some much-needed positive momentum and a reminder of how dangerous the group can look when its moving and finishing well.
Still, the game also left one familiar concern hanging in the background. St. Louis managed to convert on only one of its three power-play chances against Ottawa, and the early-season numbers remain uncomfortably low for a unit that is supposed to help separate tight games and extend leads when the even-strength scoring dries up. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Injuries Just Opened A Real Door For Otto Stenberg
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Stenberg is at least on the radar for future NHL duty, and the path hed be walking is clearer than it was a week ago. A call-up has not been announced, but with openings available and the lineup needing reinforcements, the Blues have a real chance to see whether he can handle a role that would put him in the mix with the clubs third-line group. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Finally Have The Offensive Support Their Top Line Needed
The early part of the season has already offered a different kind of look for St. Louis, one that has the Blues at 3-2-1 and showing a more balanced attack than they did at times a year ago. The top line still matters, of course, but the help behind it has been the real story so far, with newcomers Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael giving the roster the kind of secondary punch that can keep opponents from keying on the same handful of names every night.
For a team that has long needed more answers beyond its stars, that shift matters almost as much as the record itself. The coaching staff is leaning into depth scoring to tilt matchups in the Blues favor, and early results suggest the strategy is giving St. Louis a more sustainable way to generate offense while taking pressure off its primary scorers. [Read more 🡒]