Pacific Notes: McTavish, Doughty, Giles

While both the Ducks and unsigned center Mason McTavish are believed to want a long-term deal, it appears they have very different opinions as to what that deal would cost.  The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that McTavish’s camp is opening to signing a seven or eight-year deal in the $7MM to $8MM range, a contract that would make the 22-year-old their highest-paid forward.  However, Anaheim’s preference appears to be a five-year pact around $5.5MM per year.  Curiously, that would only buy the team one extra year of club control but the price tag would make it a team-friendly contract right away while allowing veteran Troy Terry to remain their top-paid attacker.  Clearly, the two sides still have a long way to go to bridge the gap.

More from the Pacific Division:

• Kings defenseman Drew Doughty missed most of last season after undergoing ankle surgery but returned in late January and was a regular from there. However, Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider notes that the veteran underwent a second surgery on the ankle after the playoffs, one that kept him sidelined for eight weeks.  Doughty feels the second procedure will allow him to feel more like he did a couple of years ago and given how much Los Angeles relies on him, a healthier version of himself would give their back end a nice boost to start the season.
• Sharks winger Patrick Giles recently underwent surgery on a lower-body injury and is at least a couple of weeks away from returning to the ice, relays Sharks Hockey Digest’s Max Miller (Twitter link). The 25-year-old split last season between Florida and San Jose, getting into 17 NHL contests combined between the two teams where he had a goal and 11 shots in a little over nine minutes a night of playing time.  If Giles isn’t healthy to start the season, the Sharks can place him on season-opening IR and have a reduced cap hit relative to the number of days he spent on an NHL roster in 2024-25.