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Calgary Flames have the assets to make a trade for Mason McTavish

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Jun 17 2026, 4:13 pm
Calgary Flames have the assets to make a trade for Mason McTavish
Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames wouldn’t surprise anyone if they made a trade or two at or ahead of the draft later this month.

The Flames have an embarrassment of riches heading into this draft, as they own eight draft picks in the first three rounds.

Given how many picks and prospects the organization already has, many expect the Flames to move a few of those picks in order to add players that fit their organizational timeline.

Cue: Mason McTavish.

The 23-year-old is seemingly on the trade block once again, which comes as little surprise given how his 2025-26 season played out.

Once thought of as a true building block for the Anaheim Ducks, McTavish has instead been surpassed on the depth chart by the likes of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, and Beckett Sennecke. He even sat out two games of the playoffs as a healthy scratch.

Given McTavish’s struggles as of late, you can understand why Flames fans would be hesitant when it comes to trading for him. That said, it could wind up being a great decision.

Pros of a McTavish trade

Having already played 304 career games, it’s easy to forget how young McTavish still is. He appeared in nine games immediately after being drafted third overall in 2021, and earned a full-time spot on the Ducks’ roster for the 2022-23 campaign.

McTavish was thought of as a young power forward with great offensive instincts and leadership qualities. He surpassed the 40-point mark in each of his first two NHL seasons, the second of which saw him play just 64 games.


McTavish’s best season to date came in 2024-25, where he registered career highs with 22 goals and 52 points. At 23, there is still room for growth in those numbers, and a change in scenery may be what it takes for him to truly blossom.

What makes McTavish particularly appealing for the Flames is that he can play down the middle. He had the third most faceoffs for the Ducks this season with 768, and won 48.6 per cent of them.

Cons of a McTavish trade

The issue with trading for McTavish is that he’s yet to become the player the Ducks had expected when they picked him third overall. There’s been flashes of potential, but inconsistent play has frustrated head coach Joel Quenneville, who cut his ice time from 16:53 in 2024-25 to just 15:19 in 2025-26.

One question that will need to be asked is why the Ducks seem to be so open to trading McTavish. Is it simply a case of wanting to upgrade their roster in other areas, or are there concerns in his game that have the organization concerned? That’s what Flames GM Craig Conroy will need to figure out before pulling the trigger on a deal.

The Flames do have cap space to burn, but it’s important they use it on the right players. McTavish is approaching the second year of a six-year contract, which carries a $7-million cap hit. Based on his 2025-26 production, that deal is an overpay. If he were to reach his potential, however, it would turn into a bargain rather quickly.

What would the Flames have to give up?

The Flames could look to go a couple of different ways when it comes to trading for McTavish.

The first would involve Blake Coleman. The 34-year-old is high on all trade lists given that he’s set to become a UFA after the 2026-27 campaign. He would bring a winning pedigree into the Ducks’ lineup along with the solid secondary scoring he’s provided his entire career.

Coleman himself wouldn’t be enough to get the deal done, though that’s where draft picks would come into play. Would adding their second first-round pick at 30th overall this year be enough to move the needle? Based on McTavish’s play in 2025-26, it may be.

Another option the Flames could explore is moving a defenceman for McTavish. That could be of more interest for the Ducks, who have three pending UFAs on their back end: John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, and Radko Gudas.

The Flames certainly aren’t going to be moving Zayne Parekh, but Hunter Brzustewicz could be on the table. The 21-year-old didn’t look out of place on the Flames’ back end for 34 games this season, and has the potential to turn into a defenceman capable of producing 40+ points.


Brzustewicz, who finished his OHL career with a 92-point season, would give the Ducks yet another young and promising defenceman to play with the likes of Jackson Lacombe, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger.

In Brzustewicz’s case, he’s still quite unknown at the NHL level, meaning that the Flames’ second first-round pick may need to be attached. That said, the potential of the young right-shot blueliner could allow Conroy to instead hold that pick and attach two of his three second-round picks.

While losing Brzustewicz would hurt, the Flames have several up-and-coming prospects on the back end, and could very well be adding another with the sixth-overall pick at the end of the month. That makes Bruzstewicz expendable, especially when it comes to adding a young centre like McTavish.

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