2. Mason McTavish
There are rumors that the Ducks are getting calls on former top-five pick Mason McTavish. ESPN's Kevin Weekes said he's heard "trade buzz" around the 21-year-old forward. Remember, this is a player who was selected over Luke Hughes. The Ducks taking McTavish allowed the Devils to combine the Hughes brothers and giving the Devils possibly the greatest brothers pairing on one team ever.
Trading for McTavish seems like a move other teams should make. He needs to go somewhere where the opportunity to thrive is ample. He's had an off year where he has just two goals and 11 points, good for seventh on a pretty bad Ducks team (although he's still ahead of Zegras).
It hasn't been a perfect season for McTavish, but this seems wildly early to be giving up on him. Could the Devils jump all over this knowing they have the right pieces to make a deal work? Would this be something worth using the Devils high-quality defensive prospects? What would the Ducks be looking for in a trade?
McTavish had 19 goals last year and 17 the year before. This is already a player who is likely to bounce back. He is due a new contract at the end of this season, which might be prompting this discussion for Verbeek. He might want to cut bait knowing there's a possibility that an awkward negotiation is on the horizon.