The Ottawa Senators’ search for a top-six forward has led them to a familiar name.
According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, the Senators have Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish on their radar as a potential summer trade target. General manager Steve Staios has made adding scoring help for Tim Stützle a priority, and McTavish fits the type of young, physical top-six forward Ottawa is trying to add.
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What makes this situation interesting is the connection between the player and the organization. This is not the first time Staios has had McTavish in his orbit. Back in 2022, when Staios was running the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, he acquired McTavish at the trade deadline and went on to win an OHL championship. On top of that, McTavish’s father, Dale, currently works in the Senators organization as a professional scout. There’s already a familiarity there that most trade targets don’t come with.
The Ducks’ situation also plays a role in why McTavish has come up in talks.
Bruce Garrioch: Mason McTavish has five years left on a deal that will pay him $7 million U.S. per season; He is linked to the Senators because his father, Dale, was one of the first hires Staios made when he took over in Ottawa in 2023 - Ottawa Citizen (5/30)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 1, 2026
Anaheim made the playoffs for the first time since 2018, but McTavish’s year didn’t quite match expectations. Just months after signing a six-year, $42 million extension, he finished with 17 goals and 41 points in 75 games. Things also didn’t end smoothly, with McTavish being healthy-scratched twice during their second-round series against Vegas. With Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier moving into key roles down the middle, there’s at least a sense that Anaheim would listen if the return is right.
It won’t be cheap. The Ducks are reportedly looking for a package built around a first-round pick and a roster player, and other teams like Montreal and Philadelphia are expected to be involved as well.
For Ottawa, the fit is fairly straightforward. There’s risk attached to the contract and the bounce-back needed after a down year, but if Staios believes in the player he once traded for in junior, McTavish would immediately change the look of the top six alongside Stützle.
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