If new reports come to fruition, the Philadelphia Flyers could be down another important trade target at the center position without ever getting greatly involved in the matter.
Based on what was already reported throughout the week, the Flyers have some degree of interest in centers Shane Wright, Mason McTavish, Dylan Cozens, Ridly Greig, and Shane Pinto, though they aren’t the only ones, and no such trades have been either way so far.
Advertisement
However, when it comes to McTavish, a division rival has entered the chat and is pushing to get a trade over the line.
According to ESPN NHL insider Emily Kaplan, the Anaheim Ducks are weighing two offers for the 2021 No. 3 overall pick at the moment, including one from the Flyers’ Metropolitan Division rival New York Rangers.
The other offer could always be the Flyers, of course, but their interest in McTavish in recent weeks has felt lukewarm at best.
McTavish, 23, has five seasons remaining on his new contract at a $7 million cap hit, and it’s worth noting that he regressed from a promising 52-point campaign in 2024-25 to just 41 last season: a full-season career-low.
Flyers Trade Garnet Hathaway to Panthers
Advertisement
The Flyers have already experienced some success by buying low on former top Ducks draft picks and giving them free rein and opportunity in Philadelphia.
Trevor Zegras looks like a whole new player, and Jamie Drysdale, who was widely considered a bust or trending towards one when the Flyers picked him up, has blossomed into a perfectly viable second-pair puck-mover.
It should go without saying that the Flyers are aware of the success they have had in that vein to this point, though the NHL trade market this year largely favors sellers, and the Flyers are trying to buy, not sell.
Among the Flyers’ top trade chips are their glut of wingers and veteran defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (the Ducks have no RHD under contract for the 2026-27 season), though it is unclear how valuable those pieces are relative to the market right now.
Advertisement
As for the Rangers, it is assumed that 24-year-old right-shot defenseman Braden Schneider, a pending RFA, could be one such target for the Ducks as they attempt to take McTavish off the market.
Like the Flyers, the Rangers and Ducks have an open dialogue for trade talks, too.
This time last year, longtime Rangers forward Chris Kreider was a new face joining the Ducks, and Jacob Trouba was traded for Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick in Dec. 2024.
Ultimately, it may come down to the Rangers’ trade offer appealing to the Ducks more, whatever it includes, whereas the Flyers seem content staying out of any trade scenarios that they would clearly lose on paper.
