The Ottawa Senators have built a reputation in recent years for identifying players whose best hockey hasn't come yet — and this summer, one name keeps popping up in trade speculation circles: Mason McTavish.
Ottawa's front office, led by GM Steve Staios, enters the offseason with cap space, a young core that's ready to compete, and an appetite for the kind of bold move that could push the Senators from promising to legitimate playoff contenders.
The Sam Bennett Blueprint
For those who need a refresher: Sam Bennett was the fourth-overall pick in 2014 who never quite found his footing in Calgary. After being traded to Florida in 2021, he transformed into one of the most physical, productive power forwards in the league — a key piece of two Panthers Stanley Cup runs.
The lesson? Sometimes a player just needs a fresh start and the right system around him.
Mason McTavish, the third-overall pick from 2022, finds himself at a similar crossroads with the Anaheim Ducks. At 21 years old, he's still young, still developing — but Anaheim's rebuild has stalled, and there are growing questions about whether he's being used to his full potential.
Why Ottawa Makes Sense
The Senators' system under head coach Travis Green emphasizes puck possession, aggressive cycling along the boards, and a physical brand of two-way hockey. That description fits McTavish almost perfectly.
He's a big-bodied centre who wins battles down low, has legitimate top-six offensive upside, and plays a mature defensive game for his age. Ottawa already has Tim Stützle as their first-line pivot — but a second-line centre of McTavish's calibre would give the Sens one of the deeper down-the-middle lineups in the Eastern Conference.
Pairing him with wingers like Drake Batherson or a healthy Claude Giroux (if re-signed) would give Ottawa genuine line-matching headaches for opposing coaches.
What It Would Cost
Nothing comes cheap when it comes to 21-year-old centres with top-three pick pedigree. Anaheim would almost certainly demand a high-end prospect or a first-round pick — possibly both.
Ottawa's prospect pool is deep enough to absorb that kind of hit. Names like Jorian Donovan or Tyler Boucher could be part of a package, and the Senators have accumulated draft capital over the past few rebuilding years.
The real question is whether Anaheim is ready to move McTavish at all — or whether they still see him as central to their own rebuild timeline.
Senators Summer Heating Up
With Brady Tkachuk locked in as captain and Stützle entering his prime, the window in Ottawa is real and opening fast. The fanbase — which has waited patiently through years of rebuilding — is eager to see the organization make a statement move.
McTavish wouldn't be a rental. He'd be a cornerstone. And if the Bennett blueprint holds, getting him into the right environment at the right age could unlock something special.
This is exactly the kind of calculated, high-upside swing that could define Ottawa's offseason — and turn Senators Summer into something worth remembering.
Source: The Hockey News via Google News
