There are several restricted free agents that could be offer sheet candidates this summer. The Ducks have one––and potentially two––of those. But they shouldn't be concerned with the threat of any offer sheets that come their way.

Currently, the Ducks have several players set to become restricted free agents once the 2024-25 Stanley Cup winner is decided. The current list is Drew Helleson, Brett Leason, Mason McTavish, Lukáš Dostál, Isac Lundeström, Judd Caulfield, Nikita Nesterenko, Sam Colangelo, Jan Myšák, Josh Lopina, Tim Washe and Calle Clang. There's a good chance that list is whittled down by a player or two, with the Ducks unlikely to tender all of those players a qualifying offer.

With $38 million in projected cap space, the two big fish on Anaheim's RFA list are McTavish and Dostál. Coming off his third consecutive 40+ point season, McTavish improved defensively while marking his first 20-goal and 50-point campaign. He also cleaned up his penalty taking from last season in impressive fashion, flipping his net penalties total from minus-9 to plus-5.

It's possible that McTavish could have done even more offensively if the power play had been a strength instead of a weakness for Anaheim as well. He was the clear triggerman on the man advantage, but it seemed like there was only one option available when he was on the ice: one-timers galore.

CapWages projects McTavish for a six-year contract at $6.7 million. Colleague Patrick Present wrote about how Matt Coronato's recent extension with the Calgary Flames could potentially affect McTavish's future extension. With 56 points in 112 career games, Coronato's scoring pace lags slightly behind McTavish's, who has 140 points in 229 career games. McTavish plays a premier position compared to Coronato, who is a winger.

With the rising salary cap, McTavish will also command a higher AAV as the Ducks' likely No. 2 center behind Leo Carlsson. A benchmark for McTavish could be the player who was drafted one pick before him in 2021. Matty Beniers signed a seven-year, $50 million extension with the Seattle Kraken in Aug. 2024. With 146 points in 249 career games, his scoring pace is similar to McTavish's

A caveat to a long-term deal for McTavish has been Verbeek's inclination to opt for bridge deals with his RFAs. Bridge deals for both Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale during the 2023 offseason are the clearest cases. Would a six or seven-year offer sheet from a team looking to pull off a coup like the St. Louis Blues did last offseason force Verbeek's hand when it comes to handing out long-term deals to an RFA coming off an ELC? Most likely, unless the offer sheet reached AAV levels beyond $9 million.

Dostál built off his strong first full season as an NHL goaltender and once again set career-highs in games played and wins. He carried the load early on in the season while John Gibson recovered from an appendectomy and he did the same toward the end when Gibson went down with injury. When Gibson was healthy, the pair combined to be one of the best goaltending tandems in the league. A lot of results went right this past season for Anaheim because of their goaltenders and Dostál played a large role in that.

CapWages projects Dostál to get a four-year, $5.2 million extension, with comparables to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2024), Igor Shesterkin (2021) and Filip Gustavsson (2023). Dostál has a larger body of work at the NHL level than any of those goaltenders did when they signed their extensions, though it can't be denied that those organizations thought highly of those players when those deals were signed.

Dostál is set to become the Ducks' No. 1, whether that becomes as soon as next season or the one after that. Gibson's name has swirled in trade rumors for years and with the goaltender UFA market much drier this summer than last, perhaps this is finally the year that a deal is made. A bridge deal for Dostál won't be an option as it would walk him straight to unrestricted free agency.

Teams looking to solidify their goaltending could try to pluck Dostál away via an offer sheet, but any significant offer could become more detrimental than beneficial to these teams because of the exorbitant salary they'd have to offer.

The Ducks have ample cap space and will be able to match any offer sheets that come their way for McTavish or Dostál. While there may be teams that can be taken advantage of, like the Blues did to the Edmonton Oilers last summer, the Ducks will not be one of those teams.

Featured image caption: Apr 1, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish (23) and goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) celebrate the victory against the San Jose Sharks following the shootout period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images