Ducks Coach Thinks McTavish Should Play Like Brady Tkachuk

Mason McTavish was recently "demoted" to the Anaheim Ducks' fourth line following Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The Ducks were outshot 36-14 and only managed 34% of the expected goal share at 5v5.

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Through the team's first five games, McTavish had been centering a line with Trevor Zegras and Robby Fabbri on the wings. Despite the offensive firepower on that line, they had only managed two tallies at 5v5, held 38.2% of the shot attempts share, and held 35.6% of the expected goal share.

"McTavish's line hadn't done anything," Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said before Tuesday's game against the Sharks. "We are all expecting (McTavish) to take a big jump. McTavish should be a 30-goal scorer in this league. He can shoot a puck; he's strong as a bull, (and) he can get up and down the ice pretty well."

McTavish centered the Ducks' fourth line on Tuesday, with Brock McGinn and Brett Leason on the wings. They played primarily against the Sharks' second line of Daniil Gushchin, Alexander Wennberg, and Fabian Zetterlund, winning the shots on goal battle 6-3 but losing the expected goal battle .25-.57.

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The idea behind placing McTavish in that role within the Ducks' lineup was to give him a reset and allow him to simplify his game.

"He's got to get into driving pucks deep," Cronin said. "With Leason and McGinn, they're just going to forecheck, get pucks in deep, get in front of the other team's net or get into that pocket, and rip shots. Very simple."

"I think when he gets with other players, he tries to be a skill guy," Cronin continued. "I'm not meaning he can't use his skill, but at the top of his food chain, it's gotta be 'drive the game, get to the front of the net, and win puck battles on the cycles'"

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Cronin indicated McTavish should model his game after someone with a similar draft pedigree, early career production, and play style: Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.

"He's not a 'razzle dazzle' skill guy," Cronin said. "He should play like Tkachuk in Ottawa, like a power forward that just lives at the other team's net."

Following his sophomore season, McTavish posted 88 points in 153 career NHL games. Tkachuk had 89 points in 142 games after his second season in the league.

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The two are among the most competitive young players in the NHL, never relenting on lost puck battles and consistently agitating opposing players.

Tkachuk, like McTavish, entered the NHL with a winning pedigree by captaining his team USA to a U-18 World Championship gold medal in 2017 and winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship in 2018.

McTavish captained Team Canada to a U-18 gold medal in 2021 and a gold medal at the World Junior Championship in 2022. He also won an OHL championship in 2021 with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Tkachuk hovered around the .62 points-per-game mark for his first three seasons in the NHL before he was awarded the Senators' captaincy and has increased his goal total every year since with 30, 35, and 37, respectively. He's been a .93 points-per-game player in the last three seasons.

Though he was placed on the listed fourth line at 5v5, McTavish played nearly 17 minutes against San Jose on Tuesday and was on the team's top power play unit, where he contributed an assist.

He likely won't remain on the fourth line for too much longer. If he responds the way Cronin intends, a simplified and heavy game will open up ice for skilled linemates and open up opportunities in small areas for him to thrive and produce.

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