The Anaheim Ducks have not given Mason McTavish a new contract, but he's still doing what he needs to be prepared for the season, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
“With training camp on-ice sessions beginning today, Mason McTavish is skating with the OHL’s Ottawa 67s. The contract stalemate continues in Anaheim. It’s believed the Ducks prefer not to do a bridge, but no common ground yet,” Friedman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
It seems as if the Ducks would rather do a long-term deal with McTavish, but both sides are not on the same page. The hope is that things get figured out sooner rather than later, but with training camp here, it's hard to see anything being done quickly.
McTavish will have a lot on his plate in his fifth season with the Ducks, especially with Trevor Zegras leaving in the offseason. Last season, McTavish had a career high in goals and assists, and also had his highest average ice time of his career at 16:53 per game.
With McTavish still waiting for a contract, he joins Luke Hughes as one of the other high-profile restricted free agents in the league. It will be interesting to see how things play out for McTavish, but the fact that he's still working is good news. There have been some teams that are interested in luring him away from the Ducks, according to James Murphy of RG.com.
“I think there’s a better chance now that the Ducks keep him, but teams are still trying to get him from the Ducks and wondering where this is going, and it’s still in a circling pattern,” Murphy wrote. “I’ve heard the Canadiens and Hurricanes have been keeping tabs, but one team I keep hearing that has continued to show strong interest is the Detroit Red Wings.”
