Senators & Ducks linked to McTavish trade; Marner vs. Andersen set for Stanley Cup Final

Welcome back to our first June edition of Around the NHL. The Stanley Cup Final is set to kick off this week, as the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes will battle it out to hoist Lord Stanley. It’s been one of the most entertaining postseasons on the ice, and there’s also been plenty to talk about off the ice throughout the entire spring.

Vegas continues to use a balanced attack to knock teams off, including sweeping the President’s Trophy winning Colorado Avalanche. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes are playing some smothering shutdown defence, and are pace to set records with their defensive efforts.

Here’s the very latest from around the NHL:

Anaheim Ducks & Ottawa Senators linked to Mason McTavish deal

Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish is near the top of every insider’s trade board heading into the offseason. Turns out you should keep an eye on the Ottawa Senators as a summer destination.

The 23-year-old, former third overall pick had an up-and-down regular season, which carried over to being a healthy scratch for two games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. McTavish is very likely getting traded this offseason. He’s signed through the 2030-31 season at $7 million annually and doesn’t own trade protection until the 2029-30 season.

McTavish scored just one goal in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games and chipped in with five assists. During the regular season, he appeared in 75 games, scored 17 times, and added 24 assists for 41 points. It was a down season for the promising forward, who was coming off a 52-point season last year, a season where he averaged 16:52 in ice-time, much higher than the 15:19 he played in 2025-26. The Senators align perfectly as a trade destination as McTavish’s style of play suits their dressing room and the team is searching for a top six forward to add to their group. McTavish is a fierce competitor and paired with Brady Tkachuk, could really piss off opposing teams.

It’s also worth mentioning McTavish has some serious ties to the Senators organization as his dad is a pro scout within the front office, plus he played for Steve Staios and Michael Andlauer in junior. Staios, then general manager of Andlauer’s Hamilton Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League, acquired McTavish in a trade with the Peterborough Petes in 2022. The hockey world loves familiarity. Don’t be surprised to see this trade go down around the NHL Draft.

Mitch Marner vs. Frederik Andersen will be in Leafs Nation’s feels

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for 8:00pm est on Tuesday, June 2, from Raleigh, North Carolina, and for Leafs Nation, it’s going to be very interesting to watch either Mitch Marner or Frederik Andersen hoisting the Stanley Cup in a couple of weeks.

Let’s start with Andersen. The Danish veteran goaltender is on a historic pace right now, allowing just 13 goals in 20 postseason games, and is on pace to shatter the NHL record for least number of goals given up on route to winning the Stanley Cup. Andersen’s 1.41 goals against average leads all goaltenders throughout the playoffs, and with the Hurricanes’ attention to team defence, and their knack for timely goals, the Golden Knights are going to be tested.

Playing for John Tortorella has seemed to propel Marner’s game to even bigger heights, as Torts is one of Marner’s biggest fans, and has been playing him much more down the stretch of the regular season, and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Marner’s averaged 21:15 of ice-time during the Golden Knights’ Cup run, up from 19:57 in the regular season.

What be of a shock to some, Marner’s thriving when the games matter the most this spring, and he feels like the pressure he’s feeling now, is much the same of what he felt as a Maple Leaf.

Marner hasn’t changed up anything to do with his game prep, or rituals before games. He’s going about his business all the same as he has throughout his career, and frankly, it’s working, so Marner’s going to stick with it for one more series.

“I think things are just working,” Marner continued. “There’s nothing different. There’s nothing different about how I’m getting ready for games, how I’m getting myself prepared to play a hockey game, so everything’s really the same.

“Yeah, I don’t know. Things are just working.”

Now we wait to see if ‘things’ can continue to work for one more series, as Marner and the Golden Knights will try to solve Andersen and the Hurricanes for all the marbles.

Quick hits from around the NHL

• After some fake accounts gained steam on Sunday, multiple insiders shot down the notion of David Carle being named the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• If pending restricted free-agent forward Jason Robertson is dealt from the Dallas Stars, keep an eye on the New Jersey Devils, who have promising defenceman Simon Nemec, and forward Dawson Mercer they can dangle in trade talks.
• Kitchener Rangers won the Memorial Cup on Sunday, and many are wondering if the Edmonton Oilers are going to regret trading away Sam O’Reilly, as he was named the tournament MVP. O’Reilly was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning straight up for Isaac Howard.
• Buffalo Sabres are crowded in their crease and will be entertaining offers on former top prospect Devon Levi.
• There’s been a ton of speculation linking the San Jose Sharks to Morgan Rielly, we’ll see if this gains steam heading into the draft.
• Montreal Canadiens aren’t expected to re-sign Patrik Laine, after multiple reports surfaced stating they tried to move him before March’s trade deadline and couldn’t find any takers.
• The Habs are also expected to pursue a trade for goaltender Sam Montembeault.
• Bruce Cassidy just wants to work, and the Vegas Golden Knights continue to hold him back from talking to other teams. So far, the Oilers and Kings have reached out.
• The St. Louis Blues continue to be a team to watch this offseason as Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, Colton Parayko, and Jordan Binnington have all been mentioned as offseason trade candidates.
• Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon made it loud and clear after the Avs were swept by the Golden Knights, he only wants to play for Jared Bednar.
• Avalanche are expected to listen to offers on Ross Colton, as they’ll be in tough to retool with limited cap space.
• Lots of speculation that the Oilers are working hard to facilitate a Darnell Nurse trade.

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