The Philadelphia Flyers are on the hunt for some potential upgrades in key positions this summer. With the taste of the playoffs, they now want some more and expectations should be to make it again next season. So, with some teams potentially bouncing back in the Eastern Conference, they should be looking to load up but also keeping an eye on the future as they continue to form this new-look young core of players.
One of the spots on the roster that is the most obvious to try and get a real, true piece to fit right in, is at center and preferably in the top six. While there were upgrades with Noah Cates coming more alive offensively, Christian Dvorak has done what he was asked to do after signing in Philadelphia last summer, and Trevor Zegras really is now a solid contributor down the middle, there is still a desire to improve — since most Stanley Cup champions are powered through the middle of the ice.
Ideally, it would be someone young that can contribute for a fairly long time as the Flyers begin to rapidly ascend and be the regular Cup contender we all dream of them becoming.
One center that somewhat fits the mold that is reportedly available via trade this summer is Anaheim Ducks’ Mason McTavish and according to a recent report, the Flyers are expected to be interested.
Flyers named as potential suitor for Mason McTavish
In an article in the Ottawa Citizen on Saturday, Bruce Garrioch reported that the Senators are interested in acquiring McTavish from the Ducks this summer. But nestled in the dozens of paragraphs about the connection he has with Ottawa’s owner from his OHL days and how he would fit what the Senators want right now — and all that stuff — is a mention that the Flyers are one team who is to be interested.
“It’s believed the Philadelphia Flyers would be among the teams that would show interest in McTavish because they need help in the middle, along with the Montreal Canadiens,” Garrioch wrote.
While it is just a little brief tidbit of information, we will take it and run with it. Could it just be Garrioch speculating and making the connection between a team’s need and an available player? Possibly. But, it makes sense.
It’s well-known that the Flyers need some help down the middle — it was only accented by the hockey world watching them during the playoffs and Dvorak was getting a whole lot of minutes and while Noah Cates was out injured, Denver Barkey managed to play center for the first time in his pro career.
And now, there is a connection to the first center who is reportedly available that fits what Philadelphia could be looking for.
McTavish is just 23 years old and while he is coming off a season where he had ups and downs with new head coach Joel Quenneville, which included him being healthy scratched multiple times in the playoffs, he does still possess some exciting potential. His best season was in 2024-25, when he scored 22 goals and 52 points while averaging a career-high 16:53 time-on-ice and even had a 50.7 percent win rate in the faceoff dot. McTavish appeared to be well on his way to establishing himself as a bona fide top six center that, while standing at 6-foot-1 but with a 219-pound frame, could get more than physical with the top opposition.
Unfortunately with higher expectations, McTavish was tossed down the depth chart throughout last season and now might be on his way out.
While he seems like the perfect Flyers package, there are some concerns with his skating and general mobility, while also not being all that good defensively quite yet. He’s still going to be a developmental project — and we’re all too familiar with players coming out of Anaheim with some warts that need to be solved in a much better system.
But with McTavish’s youth and high draft pedigree since he was selected third overall in 2021, and with a contract that keeps him locked up through the 2030-31 season at a $7-million AAV; what will it take to acquire him from the Ducks?
What could it cost for the Flyers to get McTavish?
Luckily, we can turn to Garrioch once more to get a little bit of an idea.
“But the Senators and any other suitors for McTavish would have to be willing to pay a high price, including a first-round pick and someone who can help the Ducks immediately, although the term and money left on McTavish’s contract may lower the asking price a bit,” Garrioch wrote.
That would be an interesting proposal. For the Flyers, to give up 21st overall this June, and then maybe someone like a Noah Cates (since there would be a slight logjam at center if McTavish was acquired), then it is certainly debatable. For any hypothetical trade, add your win-now piece, and adjust the draft pick for the value. One-for-one for Owen Tippett? Alex Bump and that first-round pick? No one has a clue.
McTavish being signed for that many years and not having fully established himself as someone who deserves to take up that much cap space, like Garrioch said, could affect the return. The trade would need a team that is fairly confident that the 23-year-old center can be a good enough contributor for it to not look all that bad financially.
Now, would it be smart for the Flyers to take on that deal? That’s a big question.
Notably, Sean Couturier is signed through the 2029-30 season at a $7.75-million AAV cap hit and is expected to fully embrace more of a bottom six role next season. Add in that the Flyers are now paying Christian Dvorak $5.15 million until 2031 as well, and suddenly that’s a lot of money tied up to just okay centermen. If McTavish doesn’t hit his potential and he settled more into a 55-point, middle-six center, then suddenly the Flyers have a lot of the same type of player and for over $20 million in cap space.
It’s certainly a tricky acquisition and a risky one, but the Flyers could make out like gangbusters if McTavish even just becomes a solid second-line center.
If Philadelphia could rescue another young player from the Anaheim Ducks and turn them into something so much better and have them actually grow and blossom into a fully fledged and responsible hockey player, then the NHL might just have to put a ban on these two teams making any future trade.
