Mason McTavish is still on Montreal's radar, but Martin St-Louis now knows Anaheim's asking price is anything but light.
That's the real turn in this story.
The Ducks aren't floating McTavish as a loose trade chip. They're attaching a clear demand to his name and forcing rival clubs to decide whether he's worth a premium return.
According to the report, Anaheim wants a right-shot defenseman back, and not a filler piece.
Pat Verbeek is looking for a blue-liner who can play in a top-4 role and help cover the hole left by John Carlson's departure.
That changes the conversation around McTavish in a hurry.
This stops being a fun offseason rumor and starts looking like a real value test for any team trying to land a 23-year-old center with size and top-six upside.
For Montreal, the fit is easy to see. The Canadiens have been hunting for a second-line center behind Nick Suzuki, someone who can handle tough minutes and keep the middle of the ice from getting too thin.
But Anaheim's side is the bigger story here. The Ducks are showing the league they won't move McTavish unless the return directly fixes their own lineup, and that's a strong position to take with the draft closing in.
Anaheim isn't selling low on Mason McTavish
The key line from Marco D'Amico says it all: McTavish “would be a major trade chip” in a deal for “a right-shot top-4” defenseman. That's not a soft market check. That's a price tag.
Once that came out, David Reinbacher became the obvious Montreal name to watch.
His profile lines up with what Anaheim wants, and that's why this rumor suddenly carries more weight than the usual draft-week noise.
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Still, that's where the risk jumps off the page for the Canadiens. Reinbacher is still viewed as their top defense prospect, and moving him for a player coming off a difficult season would split the room and the fan base fast.
From Anaheim's angle, this is smart asset management.
McTavish still has name value, age value, and role value, so the Ducks are using that leverage to chase a direct roster need instead of futures that may never help Joel Quenneville's blue line.
That's why this story matters beyond Montreal.
Anaheim has now shown the kind of return it expects, and that gives the rest of the league a much cleaner read on where the McTavish market really starts.
If Verbeek holds that line, the Ducks may either land a serious defense piece or keep their young center and move on. Either way, Anaheim just made one thing clear: Mason McTavish won't come cheap.
Should the Montreal Canadiens trade David Reinbacher for Mason McTavish?
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