NHL analyst pours cold water on Mason McTavish trade rumors, shoots down links with $3B franchise

NHL analyst Marco D’Amico spoke about Anaheim Ducks centre Mason McTavish's trade rumors. McTavish is a restricted free agent after his last contract ended in 2024-25. His previous deal was for three years and was worth $2.68 million.

Speaking on The Shaun Starr Show on Monday, D'Amico said the Montreal Canadiens likely will not trade for McTavish or spend big on a first-round pick this summer.

"I don't even think they are interested in a first-round pick," D'Amico said. [5:45 onwards] "... the only thing that would really grab Anaheim's attention at this point is a current or future top pair right shot defenseman.

"... Canadiens have one in Noah Dobson that's not moving, and then the Canadiens kind of have one in the projection mold in David Rheinbacher, but I don't think the Canadiens are going to spend in one summer."

The Canadiens already have strong young defensemen like Logan Mailloux and David Rheinbacher. Stanley Cup winners usually keep a solid defense core and do not break it up. Those pairs play 50 out of 60 minutes a game. And the Canadiens have already paired Kaiden Guhle with Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson with Jayden Struble.

D’Amico thinks the Canadiens, who are worth $3 billion (per Forbes), want to wait for the right time to make big moves.

"They're in a situation where they want something to happen, for them to pounce." D'Amico said.

D’Amico said there is no real trade happening with McTavish at the moment.

"I don't think that there's anything happening right now with Mason McTavish," D'Amico said. "I think this is summer speculation just running amok."

McTavish is expected to start next season with Anaheim. The Ducks drafted Roger McQueen in 2025, but he is two years away from the NHL.

"He's at least two years away from sniffing the NHL (due to his injury)," D'Amico said. "It's going to the NCAA next season. Lots of time to figure that out (for Ducks)."

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Mason McTavish has improved but the Canadiens have much depth

Mason McTavish had his best season last year. He scored 22 goals and made 30 assists in 76 games. He played almost 17 minutes per game, showing signs of growth. Over three seasons, McTavish has improved his scoring and playmaking (scoring 17, 19, and 22 in the last three seasons). He is now an important part of Anaheim’s offense.

The Montreal Canadiens won’t rush to trade for Mason McTavish because the team wants to keep a balance and focus on long-term success. They have good offensive players like Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky on the top line and Zack Bolduc, Kirby Dach, and Ivan Demidov on the second line. So, a change for now is unlikely.