The Montreal Canadiens are already being linked with an upgrade at the center position. Montreal was recently knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs after being dominated by the Carolina Hurricanes. One of the biggest issues for the Canadian club was productivity from some of their top players.
Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov combined to score just one goal in the final four games of the series. The Canadiens dropped all four of these games. With the 2026 free agent class looking thin, the club may have to look to make a trade this summer. According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, Montreal is one of at least three teams to be interested in Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish.
The reporter initially links the Ottawa Senators with a potential move for McTavish. Ottawa was also dominated by Carolina in the postseason and is looking for upgrades. Nevertheless, Garrioch also specifically pointed to the Philadelphia Flyers and Canadiens as likely McTavish suitors. Teams interested in the young center may, however, have to pay a steep price to strike a deal.
According to Garrioch, the Ducks have set an asking price of a first-round pick and an established NHL player. McTavish was previously selected third overall in the 2021 draft. The Canadiens currently have a first-round pick in each of the next three drafts. They also have a fairly deep roster to help facilitate a trade.
Montreal Canadiens Hope Mason McTavish can Benefit from Change of Scenery
GettyMason McTavish could be looking for a fresh start with another NHL team.
Anaheim could be forced to eventually lower its asking price on McTavish, though. As Garrioch points out, the star center recently signed a six-year, $42 million contract extension ($7 million AAV) to remain with the Ducks. The forward, however, has seemingly regressed since signing the deal. He managed to score just 41 points in 75 regular-season games during 2025-26. This is 11 fewer points than he grabbed the year before.
As a result, interested teams may not be willing to take such a massive gamble on McTavish. Taking on a significant salary for an underperforming player while giving up a first-round pick is risky. Anaheim head coach Joel Quenneville also benched his center for two games during their recent playoff runs.
Despite this, the Montreal Canadiens and other clubs around the league could believe that McTavish just needs a change of scenery. The young forward looked like he was becoming a budding star during the 2024-25 campaign. He scored 22 goals and added 30 assists during that season. His playing time dropped under Quenneville as well.
Montreal has Been Linked to McTavish Before
The Montreal Canadiens do have to be mindful of their financial situation this summer. According to Puckpedia.com, the club has just under $11 million in projected cap space heading towards the 2026-27 season. Only five other NHL teams currently have less money to spend. Potentially taking on McTavish’s contract would take up a significant portion of Montreal’s extra funds.
The Canadiens, however, have seemingly been interested in McTavish for a while. In fact, they were heavily linked with a move for the center before he signed the extension with Anaheim last summer. Montreal will likely assess other targets in the coming weeks before ultimately making a decision to upgrade the position.
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