Report: Ducks & Blues Were 'Down The Road' On Blockbuster 5-Player Deal

Two of the most frequently named centers on the rumor mill include Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks' Mason McTavish.

What if the Blues & Ducks were discussing a blockbuster multi-player deal that involved them both?

According to insider Darren Dreger on the Morning Show with Starr & McKenna, a massive deal was being discussed between the two teams.

There was a big deal I'm told that was down the road...included Mason McTavish going to the Blues, and I believe that Robert Thomas and Colton Parayko could've been part; Pavel Mintyukov, maybe Roger McQueen.

Let's break down what this blockbuster would have looked like:

Anaheim Ducks receive:

Robert Thomas, C
Colton Parayko, D

St. Louis Blues receive:

Mason McTavish
Pavel Mintyukov
Roger McQueen

Whether this would have comprised the entire deal is unknown.

The 27-year-old Thomas and 33-year-old Parayko would be heading to the Ducks—who are in win-now mode as they are officially out of their rebuild after a strong season that saw them make it to the second round of the playoffs. It was their first postseason appearance in eight years.

Parayko gives them the towering, shutdown defenseman they need, with John Carlson, Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas all heading into unrestricted free agency. Thomas gives them another scary offensive threat in their top six that will make them pretty hard to stop.

As for the Blues, even though Thomas is certainly not long in the tooth by any means, they would be resetting their future by getting a whole younger in this hypothetical transaction. But it would also be putting a lot of faith in the 23-year-old McTavish that he can finally live up to the promise of his big potential, having been selected third overall in the 2021 Draft.

To help balance off the risk down the middle, St. Louis would also nab last year's No. 10 overall pick from Anaheim, another center, in 19-year-old Roger McQueen. The 6'5" pivot plays a 200-foot games and combines a massive frame with an elite scoring touch. He certainly projects as a top-tier center.

Mintyukov had a so-so year in Anaheim, and was a non-factor in the playoffs, but still carries the high pedigree and expectations of a top-10 pick (from the 2022 Draft).

If these discussions truly were far "down the road" as Dreger suggests, and involved this many notable names, it's safe to assume that the two teams could revisit these talks. The difference being that Alex Steen will be taking over the discussions in the GM's role in St. Louis from Doug Armstrong. The official passing of the baton takes place on July 1st.

With names like that having been thrown around, we'll have to keep an eye on these two clubs once the wheeling and dealing begins in earnest later this month.