The Ducks have moved on from forward Mason McTavish, sending him to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for the 15th and 29th overall picks in this year’s NHL draft.
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They used No. 15 to add Ontario Hockey League Rookie of the Year and scoring champion Nikita Klepov on the eve of his 18th birthday. They then invested No. 29 and pick 117 into a swap up with the Vegas Golden Knights for 28th overall. They used that pick to make winger Marcus Nordmark the record seventh Swede selected in the first round.
McTavish, 23, was the third overall pick in the 2021 draft and projected to be a cornerstone player. Yet now he joins close friends Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale in exile, all of them being top-10 picks by former Ducks general manager Bob Murray who ended up being traded under his successor Pat Verbeek.
At times, McTavish showed glimpses of that potential, particularly during the second half of the 2024-25 season. But like Zegras and Drysdale in 2023, McTavish’s contract negotiations dragged well into training camp with a disappointing campaign that followed.
McTavish scored fewer points in 2025-26 (42) than he did from Dec. 4 onward the season prior, leading to healthy scratches both during the regular season and playoffs. Now, not even nine months after signing a six-year, $42 million contract, McTavish is on the move.
There were on-again/off-again conversations surrounding McTavish last season and in the leadup to the draft. The availability of Klepov very likely pushed the deal across the finish line.
Born in Florida before splitting time between the U.S. and Russia, Klepov made a cannonball splash in the OHL last year. He racked up a league-best 97 points (37 goals, 60 assists) before chipping in five more in four playoff games.
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He was the first American-born player to lead the OHL in scoring since Arcadia native Jason Robertson did so in 2018-19. He’s committed to playing for Michigan State next season, taking advantage of CHL junior players’ newfound ability to participate in NCAA competition.
McTavish had vowed to reexamine his training in an effort to gain quickness and acceleration, with skating being the main deficiency in his game alongside overall consistency. Now he’ll do so in St. Louis, where he’ll play under Jim Montgomery and be reunited with former Ducks coach Greg Cronin, who was just hired as Montgomery’s lead assistant.
Klepov brings a blend of skill and creativity that should fit nicely with the Ducks’ group up front, led by Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier. His ability to excel off the rush, cycle the puck, fill lanes and switch positions all suggest he can be impactful through the neutral zone as well as in the opposing end.
Nordmark also fits the Ducks’ emphases on speed and skill. He scored 37 points in 25 appearances for Sweden’s U18 selection. He also stacked up 23 points in 11 playoffs games at the U20 club level.
As deep as his bag of tricks is as both a playmaker and finisher, questions about his compete level, motor and defensive game suppressed his ceiling, making him a borderline first-rounder.
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