Could The Ducks Be A Trade Partner For The Penguins?

While the 4 Nations Face-off continues for the NHL, scouting continues for NHL teams in preparation for the upcoming Mar. 7 trade deadline.

Scouts for the Anaheim Ducks have taken in several games at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton WBS) – AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins – in recent weeks. While it’s worth noting that NHL scouts simply have an opportunity to take in more AHL action with the NHL on hiatus, it is still relatively interesting that Anaheim has consistently shown up for WBS.

The Ducks are an interesting team, to say the least. They should be on the precupice of competing, but it seems they are still a long way off. Therefore, it wouldn’t be all that shocking to see them deal a younger player or two for high-value assets.

Penguins GM and POHO Kyle Dubas has said that they may look to move the conditional first-round pick acquired in the Marcus Pettersson deal for a good young player. While there may be a lot of factors going into that equation – including where and when that first-round pick will look to fall – that doesn’t mean Dubas won’t bite sooner if the return is right.

Here are some young players from the Ducks who may fit the bill for what Dubas is looking for – as well as what they may cost.

Trevor Zegras – Center

A name that’s been drawing a lot of attention is Trevor Zegras, a 23-year-old center who was Anaheim’s ninth overall pick in 2019. However, he has had a relatively concerning run of recent injuries despite a running start to his NHL career.

After playing in just 24 games during his first season in 2020-21, the highly skilled center put up 46 goals and 126 points in his next 156 games across two seasons. However, he has played in only 63 games total over the past two seasons due to ankle and knee injuries and has just 12 goals and 30 points in that time.

For this reason, his stock has dropped significantly. However, there is definitely still some high upside potential there, and his ability to man the center position might make him an attractive option for the Penguins – who will need a second-line center as soon as next season.

Zegras is someone who may be worth a gamble for Pittsburgh, but they should not pay a premium for him, given his injury history and recent lack of production. He also has a cap hit of $5.75 million through the end of the 2025-26 season.

Therefore, Dubas would be unwise to deal that first for Zegras. A package centered on a 2026 second-round pick and a prospect may make more sense – perhaps someone like forward Avery Hayes, center Vasily Ponomarev, or even defenseman Emil Pieniniemi (for the right package).

Pavel Mintyukov – Defenseman

Honestly, Zegras is probably the cheapest option on this list, because all others are higher-upside and, arguably, better. So, if the Penguins want to shoot higher and are willing to give up a better asset, defenseman Pavel Mintyukov may be an intriguing option.

Mintyukov, 21 – and the Ducks’ 10th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft – is a budding young left defenseman for Anaheim. Touted as a gifted offensive defenseman from his time in Russia, he showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie season in 2023-24 with four goals and 28 points in 63 games.

However, he has seen a bit of a regression in his sophomore season with just four goals and 11 points in 44 games, which has come at a bad time for Mintyukov, who is just one young blueliner on a crowded left side for the Ducks. Jackson LaCombe has made the most of his opportunity this season, while Mintyukov has not.

Still, he has great puckhandling skills and high hockey IQ, and he has enough size to develop more physicality in his game. His play away from the puck needs refining, but he is beginning to show some small signs of progress in bottom-pair minutes this season.

The Penguins need another legitimate young option, in addition to Owen Pickering, on the left side. If he is on the market, Mintyukov – who is signed on his ELC through the end of 2025-26 – is someone who Dubas should consider surrendering that conditional first-rounder for.

Mason McTavish – Center

This one right here may be the one to watch. Mason McTavish – Anaheim’s third overall pick in 2022 – is blossoming into a legitimate two-way center at the NHL level.

He just turned 22 years old at the end of January, and his offensive game figures to keep developing in a positive direction. McTavish already owns 51 goals and 115 points in 201 games at the NHL level – despite having a bit of a down year with 13 goals and 27 points this season.

And that is big news for any team interested in his services. McTavish may certainly seem like a player the Ducks will want to keep around – and they should try to keep him – but there is some rumored uncertainty about the pending-RFA’s commitment to stay in Anaheim. He has, curiously, been playing mostly in a third-line role this season, and even Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said that McTavish is “a third line guy with offensive abilities.”

Honestly? That doesn’t sound like a coach who has a whole lot of confidence in McTavish’s upside potential for the Ducks’ future – and it, sort of, came off as a dig to the young center.

So, if McTavish lacks interest in signing long-term with the Ducks, it may be in their best interest to get a premium return while they’re still in the midst of a rebuild. The 6-foot-1, 219-pound center has the tools to be an effective second-line center – something the Penguins will need – and he is the type of player whose production should break out if he has some consistent and legitimate talent on his wings.

McTavish finds and creates space. He’s a smart player with a high-IQ and 200-foot acumen. He’s physical. He thrives in high-danger areas and is good around the net-front.

And he has a lethal one-timer that can be a weapon on the power play and alongside another high-IQ playmaker – perhaps someone like top prospect Rutger McGroarty.

If McTavish is available, Dubas should be more than willing to part with that first-rounder and then some. He’s someone that will likely cost the Penguins a pretty good prospect as well – perhaps one of their goaltending prospects not named Sergei Murashov, an NHL-ready, ACTUAL third-line player like Ponomarev, or someone with a higher ceiling but who’s farther down the line, such as 2024 second-round pick Tanner Howe.

If Dubas goes bigger for an elite young talent, McTavish is a great option to help them in the near-future, and he’s a guy who can continue to develop with the crop of younger players already on schedule to arrive in 2025-26.

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