We're six games into the 2026-27 season, and the St. Louis Blues' flurry of offseason activity is already paying off. They're sporting a 3-2-1 record, good for seven points in the standings, and nipping at the heels of the Colorado Avalanche for fourth in the Central Division. Not every summer addition has made an immediate impact, but one player certainly has: Mason McTavish.
So far in this young season, McTavish is leading the Blues in goals with four (two of them game winners), and in points with seven. He's stepped in and has shown he can be the solution at second-line center the Blues have so desperately needed for years. It's early, but the trade's looking like a coup for the Blues front office.
Revisiting the trade
It was a major draft day deal that brought McTavish to St. Louis. Doug Armstrong, in his final draft as general manager, sent the 15th and 29th overall selections in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for McTavish. The reason he was available at all was a down season in Anaheim: in his fourth full season in the NHL, he posted a paltry 41 points, and it looked like his development had stagnated.
The third-overall pick in 2021, McTavish had the kind of draft pedigree and high-end upside that the Blues so desperately needed in their system. It's not often that 23-year-old centers (though McTavish had been playing on the wing with the Ducks) become available, nor do they usually come with a reasonable cap hit and plenty of term--$7-million AAV through 2031, in McTavish's case. Two first-round picks were a lot to give up, but, given the low likelihood that 29th-overall would've become a regular NHL player, it was a good risk to take.
Frankly, maybe we should put more stock in the Blues' pro scouting department: they saw Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg being underutilized on the Edmonton Oilers and swooped in with dual offer sheets. That's worked out pretty well for them, so it stands to reason that the scouts saw something in McTavish as well.
Solidifying the steal
We can't fully claim that the McTavish trade's a landslide victory for the Blues; it has only been a handful of games, after all. It is trending that way, though.
In six games, McTavish has an outstanding 63.21 xGF% at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick. That's the third-best mark from a regular forward on the team. At even strength, McTavish is dominating the ice; it's exactly the foundation you want to see a player setting on a new team. The Blues have finally found some secondary scoring behind their top line.
If he keeps up this level of play, the sky's the limit for McTavish.
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