Two serious teams remain in the mix to land star Anaheim Ducks forward

Seravalli flagged Calgary and Philadelphia as teams watching the situation, but named the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild as the two that genuinely stand out.

Minnesota has been linked to Dylan Larkin first, and Seravalli said so himself. If Detroit retains Larkin, the Wild don't abandon the center market - they slide straight to Plan B.

McTavish is Plan B, and that is the detail that reframes this entire trade picture.

A team that finished at 104 points last year doesn't absorb a dead end on its biggest offseason priority.

Bill Guerin needs a center who can play now, and McTavish at 23 with five years left at $7 million is exactly the kind of bet a contending team can afford to make.

The Montreal Canadiens' interest is documented across multiple sources. Kent Hughes has circled back on McTavish this summer, with the fit behind Nick Suzuki clear enough that David Reinbacher keeps appearing in trade framework discussions.

But Pat Verbeek's asking price hasn't softened. He wants a right-shot top-four defenseman in return, and that changes the calculus for both suitors.

McTavish carries zero trade protection until the 2029-30 season. Verbeek is not selling a player Anaheim wants to lose - he is converting a surplus asset into a direct roster fix.

The 23-year-old was a healthy scratch under Joel Quenneville last year. That context lowers his market value, but not enough for Anaheim to accept anything short of the defense return it has already signaled it needs.

Whoever lands McTavish pays a defense price. If Larkin stays in Detroit, Minnesota may end up paying it first, before Montreal even gets its second call.

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