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Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ottawa Senators have been building a very good young core over the past five years, and after back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there’s plenty of optimism for the future.

On Sunday, they decided to make a blockbuster deal, trading away captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, acquiring picks No. 9 and 25 in the 2026 NHL Draft in the process, along with a future first and second round draft pick. However, that leaves a major hole in the Senators forward group, but with three first-round picks in the upcoming draft, they’ve got more than enough draft capital and overall assets to target a major upgrade on the trade market.

Ottawa Senators Targeting Mason McTavish This Off-Season

GettyMason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks.

While they’ve been linked to Dallas Stars restricted free agent Jason Robertson, there’s other potential targets out there, and with all of this draft capital, the Senators have option as they look to upgrade in their top-six. According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, one of those players the team are seriously targeting is young Anaheim Ducks star Mason McTavish, who has been mired in trade speculation since he was a healthy scratch for the Ducks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In Garrioch’s report, he notes that the team could use one of the first-round picks acquired in the Tkachuk deal to get it done, and with upwards of $25 million in salary cap space, the team could not only target McTavish, but other potential upgrades like Alex Tuch from the Buffalo Sabres as well.

Is Mason McTavish a Good fit for the Ottawa Senators?

Down the middle, the Ottawa Senators appear to be set with Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens and Shane Pinto, but given the versatility of McTavish, who has NHL experience at center and on the wing, that’s the type of player the team should be targeting. In his young NHL career, McTavish has 77 goals and 181 points across 304 games played, and in 2024/25, he posted a career high 52 points in 76 games played, showing he has the talent to live up to the No. 3 overall pick expectations that he had coming into the league.

However, there’s plenty of criticism for his style of play, and with a lack of speed and a major step back in 2025/26 resulting in healthy scratches in the post-season, and as a result, a first-round pick may be somewhat of an overpay for the Senators if that is the cost to acquire the 23-year-old. Last season may have been a step back for McTavish, but even in a down year he had 17 goals and 41 points in 75 games played, and in an increased role on a young team like Ottawa, he could blossom into a very good player at the NHL level.

On paper, there’s some better fits out there for Ottawa such as Robertson, Tuch (free agent), Jake DeBrusk or even Jordan Kyrou, but given that McTavish fits their needs, their age range for the current team and the versatility of playing center and wing if needed, this is a fit that makes plenty of sense for the Senators.