The Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish is one of the more noticeable restricted free agents in the NHL who are still waiting to sign their contracts for the upcoming season, however roadblocks in negotiations between the Ducks front office and McTavish's team have led to him sitting out of training camp as worry begins to set in.
McTavish is one of many, if not the best young prospect in the Ducks long line of up-and-coming talent, and with how the Ducks seem to be dealing with the McTavish contract situation, they are underappreciating him massively. Coming out of his entry level deal, McTavish is a player who Ducks fans would probably have expected to have signed by now, but whether it is term or just salary, the deal is nowhere near being done. The Ducks really need to get the ball rolling before things turn sour.
As a 50-point scorer last season, McTavish is one of the young Ducks who look poised to become a future captain of the team, and as a previous captain of his junior Canada team, he has already shown that he has what it takes to be a long-lasting leader in Anaheim. They have their scorers in Carlsson and Sennecke, and they have their defensive workhorses like LaCombe and Zellweger, but they only have one 200-foot leader like McTavish, and they can't afford to lose him.
Much like guys like Matthew Knies who signed a 6x7.75 AAV deal this summer, and Matty Beniers who signed a 7x7.1 AAV last summer, McTavish is easily expected to be making anywhere in the $6-7 million range, and is probably looking for term rather than a bridge deal. Of course with the massive salary cap increase next July, McTavish will be looking to cash in big with the Ducks this summer, and rightly so, but after heading back to Ottawa, skipping training camp under new head coach Joel Queenville, and missing vital ice time, things don't look too good.
With the Ducks being a team who could scrape into contention, McTavish is a guy you can't afford to lose, and with what we have already seen from him, a $6 million AAV deal isn't a bank breaker, and is a more than reasonable price for a guy who will bring so much to the team in 2-3 years. We could be talking about a franchise guy, or we could be talking about a unique piece of a future championship team, but with what McTavish brings, and what he promises to bring in the future, GM Pat Verbeek can't afford to drop the ball on this one, and that deal needs to come soon before McTavish start thinking about opportunities elsewhere.