Pucks of a Feather
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Anaheim Ducks: Reaching for Mason MacTavish is a Good Thing

ByBen Thomasian|
SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - JULY 23: With the third pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Anaheim Ducks select Mason McTavish during the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft at the NHL Network studios on July 23, 2021 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
SECAUCUS, NEW JERSEY - JULY 23: With the third pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, the Anaheim Ducks select Mason McTavish during the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft at the NHL Network studios on July 23, 2021 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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Anaheim Ducks
OSHAWA, ON – OCTOBER 20: Mason Mctavish #23 of the Peterborough Petes takes a shot during an OHL game against the Oshawa Generals at the Tribute Communities Centre on October 20, 2019 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)

Conclusion

I’ve seen comparisons to Ryan O’Reilly and while I bow to superior knowledge, I’m not entirely sure I see it. What I do see however is a Top-6 NHL player. Whether that looks like a top-end second-line pivot or a lower-end second-line wing will be up to the Anaheim Ducks development team over the next few years.

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Personally, I think McTavish has a couple of AHL years ahead of him, which may put him behind the curve a little bit in terms of creating chemistry with the Ducks’ current young group of forwards in Comtois and Zegras. There’s a good chance that he’ll also miss playing with Perreault as he looks to graduate into the NHL team.

Nonetheless, I think that McTavish was an absolutely worthy gamble by the Ducks and despite perhaps a lower skill set than players selected in previous seasons, he may be the prospect I’m most excited about in the Ducks system.

I simply love the way he goes about his game, and I think he’ll help create an identity the Ducks can rally around. I think he provides a skill set that compliments what the Ducks have already drafted and creates a niche for himself as he moves into the team in future years.

More than anything, I love how this pick is outside of the safe path. Drafting safe for years on end is what brought the Ducks to this point in their history. Taking a chance on a guy who could potentially blow up is exactly what I’ve wanted the Ducks to do for years and I couldn’t be happier. Whether he succeeds or fails, and I truly hope he succeeds, that the Ducks are no longer doing their normal thing has just created a moment of sheer relief for me. I love it. I really, really love it.

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