The Anaheim Ducks will have some big contracts they’ll need to hand out, and they may not be interested in handing out a bridge deal for Mason McTavish
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Things Will Happen on McDavid’s Timeline episode on Anaheim Ducks, RFA forward Mason McTavish, and future contracts they are going to have to hand out.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Friedman: “For McTavish, I think it’s a little bit different, because (Ducks GM Pat) Verbeek and the Ducks in the past have shown a willingness to keep guys out until they get what they are comfortable with. So I always look at that and say, could, if they don’t find a deal they like, could they keep him out longer and be comfortable with that? And the history of the Ducks is, yes, they would.
Now, a couple things about them. Someone said to me the other day, if you really look at the Ducks, like they still have a lot of cap room, but over the next few years, look at some of the contracts that could be coming up. Cutter Gauthier. Leo Carlson, Mason McTavish, Jackson LaCombe. Now, (Pavel) Mintyukov, (Owen) Zellweger, they’re still pretty young, and they’ve got ways to grow, but they’re going to be up for contracts. They just signed (Lukas) Dostal to an extension.
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And what someone pointed out to me is, if all these guys hit, and some of the forwards look really good, all of a sudden, the Ducks are going to have a lot of money committed to some really good young players.
Now, you know, Verbeek can always try to bridge, but the one thing I’ve consistently heard over the last little while is, I heard they’re not crazy about bridging McTavish. Now, maybe that’ll change. Maybe they’ll do it, but I have heard that they prefer long-term, and I can still see, if you want to do long-term, what is that? Six years? Like a lot of these young players are doing, seven years, eight years. Like, all of a sudden, you’re getting into pretty big numbers.
So, I don’t have the answer yet on to what’s going to happen on this one. I don’t think they want to trade him. But I’ve heard they’re not crazy about a bridge deal. Might not be easy for the two sides to agree on a longer projection.”
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