Rangers, Ducks Eye McTavish Deal
New York Rangers Enter Advanced Trade Discussions for Ducks Center Mason McTavish
Key Points
Official offers for McTavish have been submitted by the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues, with Anaheim in advanced discussions and weighing multiple bids.
McTavish is under a six-year, $42 million extension that locks him in through 2030-31, giving the Ducks long-term cost certainty on a controllable young center.
Anaheim has signaled it will not move McTavish merely to clear payroll; the Ducks are seeking a package that includes a young, controllable player who can immediately upgrade the roster plus meaningful future value.
McTavish had a career-high 52 points last season, followed by 41 points in 75 games this season (17 goals, 24 assists), with six points in 10 playoff games as Anaheim advanced to the second round.
The Rangers view the McTavish pursuit as a franchise-shaping retool move, aiming to blend youth with experience after a downturn, rather than pursuing a quick offseason patch.
The New York Rangers and Anaheim Ducks are in advanced trade discussions for 23-year-old center Mason McTavish, with an announcement expected before the 2026 NHL Draft kicks off tonight at 7:00 PM, according to Pro Hockey Rumors. Sporting News reports that both the Rangers and the St. Louis Blues have submitted official offers to Anaheim, giving the Ducks leverage as GM Pat Verbeek weighs two distinct packages.
McTavish, the third overall pick in 2021, is locked in through 2030-31 at a $7 million cap hit after signing a six-year, $42 million extension last September. He posted 41 points in 75 games this season — down from a career-high 52 points the year before — and was a healthy scratch twice during Anaheim's second-round playoff run, according to Yahoo Sports.
Rangers See McTavish as a Franchise-Reshaping Move
Rangers President and GM Chris Drury is not treating this as a quick fix. Yahoo Sports reports that New York views the McTavish pursuit as a long-term retool move after the team finished 29th in the league in 2025-26. The Rangers want to build around players under 25, including Alexis Lafrenière and Gabe Perreault, and McTavish fits that mold.
If acquired, McTavish would likely slot in as the second-line center behind Mika Zibanejad. That could free the Rangers to move veteran Vincent Trocheck, who has recently switched agents and is rumored to be available. Analysts at Sporting News frame the move as a "buy-low" opportunity, pointing to McTavish's historically low shooting luck this season — he posted an expected 25.4 goals but scored just 17.
Ducks Want Defense Back, Not Just Draft Picks
Anaheim is not moving McTavish just to dump salary. Sporting News reports that GM Pat Verbeek wants a young, controllable roster player in return — specifically a right-side defenseman to fill a gap left by recent departures. Rangers blueliner Braden Schneider is the reported centerpiece of New York's offer.
The Ducks are flush with young centers. Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier are both due for big extensions soon. With McTavish's $7 million cap hit producing 41 points, Verbeek needs to act now. He has maintained a strict internal "soft cap" where few forwards exceed $7 million, making McTavish's role increasingly hard to justify.
Blues Enter as Dark Horse With 11th Overall Pick
St. Louis is not sitting idle. Yahoo Sports reports that Blues GM Doug Armstrong — in his final draft before handing the role to Alex Steen — has offered the 11th overall pick in the 2026 Draft as the centerpiece of his bid. The Blues lost Jordan Kyrou to Washington in a recent trade and are looking for a younger, more physical center to replace his production.
The Rangers hold the 26th overall pick in tonight's draft, and their 5th overall pick is described as currently "off the table," according to Yahoo Sports. That gives St. Louis a potential edge on pure draft capital. But New York's offer of an established roster player like Schneider may appeal more directly to what Verbeek has said he needs.
A 'Year to Forget' That Made McTavish Available
McTavish's path to the trade block started last fall. He missed the start of training camp in a contract dispute before signing his extension on September 27, 2025. Then he struggled under head coach Joel Quenneville's high-tempo system, which reportedly exposed limits in his foot speed. NHL insider Pierre LeBrun called it a "year to forget" when he first reported McTavish's availability on June 14, according to Sporting News.
McTavish still has real value. He is 23 years old, has 181 career points in 304 games, and his underlying numbers suggest his 17-goal season was well below what his shot quality deserved. Frank Seravalli of Victory+ broke news of the advanced Rangers-Ducks talks on June 25, noting a deal is not done but that the pace of talks points to a resolution very soon, per Pro Hockey Rumors.
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