Ducks Must Lock Up These Two RFAs

One of sociologist Michael Foucault's foremost theories revolves around the idea that power is something that cannot be obtained. Sociology professors would love this, so if you're Pat Verbeek, general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, you most certainly disagree with Foucault's theory.

According to PuckPedia.com, the Ducks have accumulated 42 draft picks in the last five NHL drafts, eight of which have been first-round picks. Some of those picks were traded away, including the Ducks' sixth overall pick in 2020, Jamie Drysdale, who was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers two seasons ago in exchange for another blue-chip prospect, Cutter Gauthier.

With so much young talent on their roster, the Ducks have the sixth-youngest roster in the NHL with an average age of 27.1, headlined by players Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, Mason McTavish, and Lukas Dostal.

 For Verbeek and the Ducks, it's been a while since they haven't been the bottom feeders of the NHL as they have rebuilt fairly slowly. Now it's time to invest in that rebuild.

 With goaltender Dostal and forward McTavish becoming RFAs (Restricted Free Agents), Verkbeek and the Ducks will want to lock up both their line-one center and starting netminder of the future. So, let's look at each player's situation heading into their final year under team control and what we can expect regarding contract specifics. 

Mason McTavish

Age: 22

Draft: 2021, 3rd overall pick

McTavish has been with the Ducks since the early days of their rebuild, where he has quickly become an important piece of this team, serving as the team's second-line center last season behind Leo Carlsson. 

McTavish is coming off a career-best season in goals (22) and points (52), 10 points more than the season prior. Look closer at the underlying metrics, and you'll find that he ended the season with the team's second-best expected goals per 60-minute tally of 1.19, per MoneyPuck.com, which is also the best among all Duck centers.

Though McTavish does show promise on the offensive side of the ice, his defensive play is still a work in progress. This past season, McTavish had a 3.19 expected goals against per 60-minute tally, which was sixth-best among Duck forwards and third-best among Duck centers. His line's 3.84 expected goals against per 60 minutes was the team's worst. 

McTavish's poor defensive play is probably attributed to his poor skating ability. According to NHL Edge, McTavish is below the league's 50th percentile in both top skating speed and speed bursts over 20 mph. 

His lack of speed is probably one of the reasons why his defensive numbers aren't great. Due to his play, being one of a net-front presence, it's probably one of the reasons why he gets caught deep in the other team's zone and, therefore, unable to make effective backchecks. 

While in negotiations with his agent, Patrick Morris, McTavish is probably looking at a deal somewhere in the range of $5.26 million AAV with a term of 4-6 years.

If McTavish signs a deal somewhere in that range, it'll be at a lesser number than fellow centerman and 22-year-old Wyatt Johnston's contract with the Dallas Stars, which has an AAV of $8.40 million for the next four years. Johnston had 11 more goals and 19 more points than McTavish in the regular season, but had a worse expected goals per 60 minutes (3.95) than McTavish.  

Lukas Dostal       

Age: 24 

Draft: 2018, 85th overall

When looking at all the draft picks the Ducks have amassed over the years, you'd hope that they would have at least one of those picks flourish into a young netminder, and that can certainly be the case for Dostal. 

It took a while for Dostal to find his footing in the NHL, as he's just recently become a mainstay in the Ducks lineup after primarily playing pro in the Czech Republic and the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, Anaheim's affiliate. 

After being stuck in the minors and overseas due to John Gibson's command of the Ducks' crease, Dostal broke out last season sporting a .902 save percentage and a 3.33 goals-against average. Numbers that he saw improve this season to a .903 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average.

Dostal's first half of the season was his best. He had a .920 save percentage, which ranked fourth among starting goalies, per NHL.com. Dostal's play was one of the reasons why a low-standing Ducks team had the 10th-most goals against last season, tied with the Montreal Canadiens, who made the playoffs.

Dostal doesn't play in front of a great team defensively, as the Ducks had the worst expected goals-against mark (2.89) last season, so Dostal does deserve a little slack. When looking at what Dostal provides in front of a rebuilding Ducks team, his numbers are impressive and identical to that of Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembault.

Montembault currently makes $3.15 million dollars annually and sported a .902 save percentage with 2.82 goals-against average last season. He also played in front of a Canadiens team with a 2.81 expected goals against per 60, which was the third-worst last season.

Verbeek and the Ducks have a little over a month to decide whether or not they see McTavish and Dostal as part of their future. If they do, they should decide sooner rather than later before they can start to entertain offer sheets, because you can bet those opportunities will be available.