The Los Angeles Kings missed out on a big move this offseason and settled on trying to shore up their depth. The chances to add a difference maker are few and far between, but one of those opportunities resides within the state and on a division rival.
Mason McTavish is a restricted free agent, and according to reports, like this one by Frank Seravalli, indicates that the relationship between the two sides is frayed. It seems more and more likely that McTavish will not be playing for the Ducks next season, and it is just a matter of whether that is through a trade or by another team giving McTavish an offer sheet.
While a trade within the division is rare, it is fairly unheard of and the Ducks would much rather send him outside of the Pacific Division. That is why the LA Kings might have to force their hand and give McTavish an offer sheet.
As Seravalli notes, this is tough because the Ducks have a ton of cap space and probably can match any offer sheet he gets. The question will come down to whether or not they want to match knowing where the relationship stands.
If the Kings were to give him an offer sheet with an AAV over $7.02 million and the Ducks don't match, then it would be a first-round, second-round, and third-round pick going to Anaheim. This feels like the number to shoot for if Los Angeles wants the chance to add him because the compensation is more than fair and the contract is big enough to give the Ducks pause.
How would Mason McTavish fit within the LA Kings offense?
McTavish has played center for most of his career but I believe he has the skill set to move to left wing. In that case, he would be a great addition to the top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe for this season. If Kopitar were to retire after this season, McTavish slides back in at center with him and Quinton Byfield being great centers for their Top 2 lines for the foreseeable future.
He is a big forward at 6'1" who has 60 career goals and 80 career assists in 229 games. However, it feels like he is only just beginning and hasn't had the chance to play on a team that has frankly been able to compete on a nightly basis.
By adding him to a Kings team that has playoff aspirations and surrounding him with a number of talented players like Kempe, Byfield, and Kopitar might be what's needed to unlock that potential.
In the end, there is a lot of hurdles and challenges to get something like this done but if Ken Holland were to pull it off, there would be renewed optimism about this upcoming season.