ST. LOUIS -- Wouldn't it be great for St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis] fans to see general manager Doug Armstrong get bold and creative like he was last summer, putting together and executing a pair of offer sheets for a pair of Edmonton Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton] players Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway? Should the St. Louis Blues explore a trade for 22-year-old Mason McTavish, or could offer sheet the Anaheim Ducks forward? (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/41133943-e1ca-421c-a886-fde267104748.jpeg] Should the St. Louis Blues explore a trade for 22-year-old Mason McTavish, or could offer sheet the Anaheim Ducks forward? (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) It would be a clever coup and quite the way to exit center stage as the GM when Alexander Steen takes the reigns for the 2026-27 season, and they have the capital to get the job done. Because in an ideal situation, with the Blues in search of a No. 2 type center, logical targets for offer sheets would, in my opinion, be: Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks [http://thn.com/anaheim] or Ryan McLeod of the Buffalo Sabres [http://thn.com/buffalo]. It's not to say the Blues can't acquire one or the other via trade, but to have the benefit of offer-sheeting one or the other would minimize the compensation to draft picks in order to do so for 2026. At capwages.com [https://capwages.com/players/rfas], they have McTavish, who is 22 and is coming off a season with 22 goals and 52 points for the Ducks, coming in at a projected contract at six years with an average annual value at $6.8 million, up from his entry-level cap hit of just north of $894,000 and AAV of $3.425 million. An offer sheet in that AAV would cost the Blues a first- and a third-round pick [https://puckpedia.com/news/nhl-announces-2025-2026-offer-sheet-tiers]. I'm not so certain I'd go that high in money for McTavish -- yet -- but there is definitely tremendous upside, physical stature (6-foot-0, 213 pounds) and ability to play center or the wing, which the Blues crave the two-position type centers. I'd have no qualms about the term. As for McLeod, 25, he is another intriguing player that was traded by the Oilers to Sabres and had 53 points (20 goals, 33 assists) in 79 games for the Sabres, his first 20-goal season. Another big, strong (6-3, 188) man down the middle that could fit in well behind Robert Thomas. And cap wages [https://capwages.com/players/rfas] has McLeod's next projected contract at three years with an AAV of $4.8 million, up from his cap hit and AAV of $2.1 million. An offer sheet in that AAV range would also cost a first- and third-round pick. Since the St. Louis Blues have the compensation leverage to offer sheet Ryan McLeod (right), should they go that route or go to the Buffalo Sabres for a trade offer? (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/cde6582d-1451-4c71-8f62-ad089947f0f7.jpeg] Since the St. Louis Blues have the compensation leverage to offer sheet Ryan McLeod (right), should they go that route or go to the Buffalo Sabres for a trade offer? (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images) The term and cap figure seems reasonable. I'd come in with a cap hit of $4,680,076 to require the compensation, should the offer sheet not be met, to cost a second-round pick, which can be worked out to re-acquire, although at a cost to do so. But that's hypothetical at this point. So would you attempt to acquire either of these players, and what would it cost the Blues? It won't likely come cheap. Would it be worth it? Or do you offer sheet them? Of course, as we wrote on Monday regarding pending unrestricted free agent Sam Bennett [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/blues-top-free-agent-target-should-be-panthers-center-only-at-the-right-price], if the Blues go that route, that would obviously rule any of these out. Lots of moving parts to what they could do. Share your thoughts in the comment section below ...
