The 2026 Stanley Cup has been awarded to the Carolina Hurricanes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes], and the NHL is now firmly in the 2026 offseason. The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is one week away, qualifying offers are due to RFAs after that, and unrestricted free agency will begin shortly after that. A handful of trades have already taken place throughout the league, and more are reportedly on the way. This is the time of year when breadcrumbs from NHL insiders are entire meals for interested parties. 2025-26 Anaheim Ducks: By the Numbers, Part 2 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/2025-26-anaheim-ducks-by-the-numbers-part-2] Troy Terry to Miss 5-6 Months Following Surgery [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/troy-terry-to-miss-5-6-months-following-surgery] The Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] are coming off their most successful season in a decade, and their roster situation has them as one of the more intriguing teams when it comes to potential movement. Here’s what’s been reported and speculated about the Ducks over the last week: MASON MCTAVISH The smoke continues to billow around McTavish (23) and from a variety of outlets. It undoubtedly stems from interested opposing teams looking to land a talented, distressed asset and the fact that he served as a healthy scratch for two of the Ducks’ 12 playoff games this spring after signing a six-year contract with a $7 million AAV. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen [https://ottawacitizen.com/ottawa-senators/what-do-senators-need-who-will-steve-staios-target] continues to link McTavish to his hometown Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators]. He listed McTavish as one of a handful of forwards with whom the Sens have shown “some level of interest.” “A league executive told ‘The Citizen’ that they believe that McTavish is a legitimate fit for the Senators,” Garrioch reported in his latest column. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes joined in, taking to Twitter [https://x.com/KevinWeekes/status/2067235848479740231?s=20] on Wednesday to report on opposing clubs’ interest in McTavish. “Per sources another name getting plenty of attention is (forward) McTavish of the (Anaheim Ducks), he has skill, grit, term, and upside,” Weekes tweeted. “Teams are calling, it would have to be a quality ‘hockey trade’ I’m told. See how this goes…” Darren Dreger of TSN seems convinced it’s a “when, not if” situation in Anaheim in terms of McTavish’s future. “I’m in the belief that Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks is going to be traded. I know there’s definitely a lot of chatter around McTavish, around the National Hockey League,” Dreger relayed on the “Starr and McKenna [https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/shows/]” radio show. RIGHT SHOT DEFENSEMEN The current biggest hole on the Ducks’ depth chart sits on the entire right side of the blueline. All three of their veteran blueliners (Jacob Trouba, John Carlson, Radko Gudas) will see their contracts expire on July 1 if they’re not signed to extensions. Carlson has already made it known, via his agent, that he will not be returning to the Ducks and intends to test the unrestricted free agency waters. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun was first to break the news [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7366274/2026/06/16/nhl-rumblings-carlson-rielly-hischier/]. “John Carlson is headed to market. His agent, Rick Curran, has informed the Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek of that,” LeBrun reported on Tuesday. “Both sides talked about a potential extension, but Carlson is moving on.” The most probable of the three to return seemed to be Jacob Trouba, who found a fit next to Jackson LaCombe on the team’s top pair for the majority of his tenure in Anaheim. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in passing on “The Fan Hockey Show [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fan-hockey-show/id1771548034]” on Wednesday that Trouba intends to follow Carlson to free agency. “(John) Carlson’s hitting the market, and it sounds like (Jacob) Trouba is hitting the market here too,” Friedman said. Ducks captain Radko Gudas may not be far behind his brethren, as Kevin Weekes, again, tweeted [https://x.com/KevinWeekes/status/2067764322315440336?s=20] that if Gudas hits the market, teams will be interested in his services. “Per sources, I’m told Anaheim Ducks captain (defenseman) Gudas is gaining interest in the marketplace,” Weekes tweeted. “If him and the Ducks can’t get a deal done, the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs are among potential fits. He’s physical, experienced, playoff tested, on a 2-3 year term between $3.5 million and $4 million-plus.” THE BLOCKBUSTER THAT GOT AWAY Lastly, Dreger dropped a bombshell to end last week, when he was on the “Starr and McKenna [https://www.tsn.ca/radio/montreal-690/shows/]” show, indicating there were discussions of a deal being had between the St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues] and the Ducks that included Robert Thomas and Colton Parayko heading to Anaheim and Mason McTavish, Pavel Mintyukov, and Roger McQueen going back to St. Louis. “There was a bigger deal, I’m told, that was down the road, and it included Mason McTavish going to the St. Louis Blues,” Dreger said. “I believe that (Robert) Thomas and (Colton) Parayko could have been part of that. I head Mintyukov, maybe McQueen, who signed not that long ago with the Anaheim Ducks. So, it doesn’t matter because it didn’t happen, but Mason McTavish’s name has been out there for a while.” There were likely other pieces in play with that potential deal, and we’ll never know what halted the discussions. It would have changed the complexion of the Ducks on their playoff run and into the future. It’s since been reported that Thomas is now off the table from St. Louis, so any hopes of this trade being revisited should be quelled. The NHL Buyout Window is now Open, Anaheim Ducks May Need to Use It [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/the-nhl-buyout-window-is-now-open-anaheim-ducks-may-need-to-use-it] 2025-26 Anaheim Ducks: By the Numbers, Part 1 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/2025-26-anaheim-ducks-by-the-numbers-part-1] Report: Defenseman John Carlson will not Re-Sign with Anaheim Ducks, Set to Hit UFA Market on July 1 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/report-defenseman-john-carlson-will-not-re-sign-with-anaheim-ducks-set-to-hit-ufa-market-on-july-1]
