Canucks Should Target Ducks’ McTavish in a Trade This Offseason

Spirits haven’t been exactly high in Vancouver over the past year. From having another disappointing season, to trading captain Quinn Hughes, and the recent heartbreak of losing the NHL Draft Lottery after having the best odds. Along with all of those frustrating events, they are currently in the middle of hiring a new management team after Patrik Allvin got fired and Jim Rutherford stepped back into an advisory role. But now, the Canucks can move forward to the 2026 NHL Draft, where they have several picks, and they can look to add new players that may be on the trade market. Someone the organization should definitely look into is Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish.

Why Acquire McTavish?

McTavish has clearly fallen out of favour with the Ducks’ new head coach, Joel Quenneville. He has been placed in a third-line role and has been healthy scratched on more than one occasion this season. McTavish found himself in the press box for both Game 2 and 3 of the Ducks’ second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. That’s one of your younger and top-paid players sitting in the press box for two critical playoff games. The 2021 third-overall pick has struggled this season under his new coach, with 41 points in 75 regular-season games and only 17 goals. A scratch in the playoffs could be a sign that he may need a change of scenery, and Vancouver could be that place.

Sometimes, a change of scenery is very good for players; a different opportunity allows them to thrive in a different system and could reinvigorate their career. Things in Anaheim don’t look the greatest for McTavish, and the Ducks have enough young players to replace what he can bring. If the Canucks could acquire McTavish, they would add another young player to their forward group. A player who can play centre if needed and easily play at the top of their forward group. Even if he plays on the wing, he can be a very useful player when put next to centre options like Elias Pettersson or Marco Rossi. Adding a wingmate to either one of those players will be very much needed for the future of this team.

What Does McTavish Bring?

An old saying I have always loved is “always bet on talent,” and McTavish has that in spades. He has been a highly touted forward since he was a teenager. He was a top-five pick in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Draft by the Peterborough Petes and recorded 42 points in his rookie season. But after that season, McTavish fell into a group of many other players whose development was tainted by the pandemic. In his draft year, the OHL didn’t play any games, so he went to play in Switzerland with EHC Olten.

He only played in Switzerland for 13 games but was able to record 11 points. His big coming-out party in his draft year was playing at the U18 World Championship with a stacked Canadian team that featured an underage Shane Wright, Wyatt Johnston, and a 16-year-old Connor Bedard. McTavish was the third-highest scorer on that team with 11 points in seven games and helped them win a gold medal. He was even the captain for a few games when Wright was out.

Those efforts helped McTavish become the third overall pick in that draft. His next season was a mess as he played for so many different teams across so many different leagues. Along with that, he played many international games for Canada, including at the 2022 Olympics, since NHL players were not able to participate.

Since 2022-23, McTavish has been in the NHL full-time. With a player like him, who has performed extremely well at every junior hockey level, I know there is still a top-six forward in there. Even if the Ducks don’t feel he can be that player, another team can find that, and the Canucks should look at taking this risk.

This is a player who clearly has a lot of talent and can play a scoring role in the NHL, as he was able to record 52 points on the 2024-25 Ducks team. I truly think he can do even better than that in Vancouver when you surround him with the pieces they have, like Rossi, Pettersson, or Liam Ohgren. Talent doesn’t grow on trees, and McTavish clearly has it and has had it since he was in high school. A move like this could help the Canucks tremendously and give McTavish a new opportunity to thrive with a new organization.

McTavish’s time with the Ducks may be coming to an end after this season, and teams will be looking to swoop in and get him from Anaheim. There may be a bidding war, but the Canucks have to be looking to acquire him because he can be a great young piece for their team. At 23 years old, he can be a part of the franchise for many years, and hopefully be a piece that turns Vancouver back into a contender.