Mason McTavish File: Many Doubt He Fits the Habs’ Style of Play

Mathis Therrien
Mason McTavish File: Many Doubt He Fits the Habs’ Style of Play
Credit: Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

The National Hockey League draft will take place in less than a week, followed a few days later by the opening of the free-agent market.

We're now entering the most exciting part of the offseason, as several rumors could come to fruition in the coming days and weeks.

In fact, one of the stories drawing the most attention is the one involving Mason McTavish.

Indeed, the 23-year-old center for the Anaheim Ducks is at the center of several trade rumors, as things simply haven't worked out for him with the Ducks since his arrival in the NHL.

McTavish is likely to be traded, and several teams—including the Montreal Canadiens—are reportedly interested.

The Habs are looking for a second-line center, and McTavish could fill that role and develop alongside a certain Ivan Demidov.

However, there are many doubts surrounding the Ducks forward, as several analysts and insiders recently have suggested that McTavish wouldn't fit into the Habs' style of play.

Indeed, that's what renowned insider Darren Dreger stated during his appearance on the First Up podcast yesterday.

Dreger is really not convinced that McTavish could keep up with the Montreal Canadiens' pace of play, given that Martin St-Louis leads his players with a very fast and efficient style on the break and in transition.

The problem is that McTavish is far from being the fastest, both on his skates and in terms of execution.

I already touched on this last week when comparing Oliver Kapanen and Mason McTavish, ultimately concluding that the Ducks forward wouldn't necessarily be a major upgrade.

There are therefore several doubts surrounding a potential pairing between McTavish and the Habs, as there's no guarantee that the 23-year-old center will be able to adapt to a very fast-paced style of play.

However, with few centers available on the market, Kent Hughes has no choice but to stay on the McTavish trail, hoping to land him for a low price, which would make his acquisition less risky.

All of this remains to be seen, as we're likely to hear more on this front—as well as several others—in the coming weeks.


In a Nutshell

– So cool.

– Must-read.

– Stay tuned.

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