Mason McTavish enters the 2025 offseason as one of two (Lukas Dostal) high-profile restricted free agents (RFAs) on the Anaheim Ducks’ roster.
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McTavish (22) has now played out the entirety of his ELC and finished the 2024-25 season, his third full season in the NHL, with 52 points (22-30=52) in 76 games, good enough for second on the Ducks in scoring behind Troy Terry (55 points). He has eclipsed the 40-point mark in each of his three seasons and has increased his point-per-game average year over year (.54, .66, .68).
The Calgary Flames announced on Saturday that they’ve inked forward Matt Coronato (22) to a seven-year contract extension that carries an AAV of $6.5 million.
Coronato was drafted ten picks (13th overall in 2021) behind McTavish (3rd in ’21) and just wrapped up his first full season in the NHL with 47 points (24-23=47) in 77 games after splitting the previous year between the AHL and NHL.
When entering contract negotiations, players and agents will often scour the league for recent signings of players with a similar pedigree with whom to compare themselves. McTavish’s resume eclipses Coronato’s in every way.
The NHL announced their projections for where the salary cap ceiling will likely be heading over the next three seasons. It’s set to increase from $88 million in 2024-25 to $113.5 million by the 2027-28 season.
Prior to that announcement, several players comparable to McTavish after or nearing expiry of their ELCs (Alexis Lafreniere, Dylan Guenther, Matty Beniers, etc.) signed contract extensions with their respective teams. However, it would be a fool's errand to project McTavish’s next contract based on the raw salary of those players, as the landscape of the salary cap has shifted significantly.
Another detracting factor when considering McTavish’s next deal is Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek’s philosophy regarding bridge vs long-term contract extensions for young players. He engaged in notably tough negotiations with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale in the summer of 2023 that lasted well into training camp.
“Part of my philosophy is, I like to do bridge deals with players,” Verbeek said when asked at the ‘Ducks Migration’ post-trade deadline event for season ticket holders. “It allows the players two things: it allows them to have no pressure to grow and get better before they have the long-term contract. It also allows the team to assess them over the three years of how good they are really going to be.
“From a team approach, I prefer to do bridge deals, 2-3 years, and then, if it warrants, a 7-8 deal after that.”
For relatively proven players like McTavish, bridge contracts can be a risky play from a team perspective, given the projected landscape of the salary cap. He could easily outperform a two or three-year contract at a diminished AAV and require a sizable raise upon expiry. Locking a young player up to a long-term deal before they’ve realized their potential (like Lafreniere, Guenther, Beniers) can benefit the team in the long run, as they could be playing at a bargain rate for the majority of the contract.
“They’re priorities, obviously,” Verbeek said at his post-season media availability on April 19 when asked about Dostal and McTavish. “They're very important players to our organization, and the hardest thing is going to be to figure out what the contract looks like
“We're going to go through our due diligence. Obviously, we've got lots of time to work through this. The offseason's just starting, and I’ve actually had conversations with both agents before the season had ended.
“We're just going to pick up where we had left off before. I spoke to the two young players as well, and they're excited. They're excited to get going. Hopefully, we can work through this expeditiously.”
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