A division rival is closing in on a center the Maple Leafs checked in on

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen, the Senators are highly interested in Mason McTavish, and it could lead to a divisional dogfight for the forward.

Bruce Garrioch reports that the Ottawa Senators are heavily interested bringing in Mason McTavish to bolster the lineup. This comes after a report from David Pagnotta that named the Toronto Maple Leafs as a team who were also keen on acquiring him. It seems like there's a divisional dogfight for one of the league's brightest young power forwards.

It's no secret that the Maple Leafs would like to bring in McTavish not only to add to their youth contingent which includes Matthew Knies, Easton Cowan, and presumably Gavin McKenna, but to give John Tavares a much needed break and slide into the 2C position with ease.

The Senators are heavily linked to McTavish as their personal ties add a new wrinkle into trade rumours

He won't be a cheap acquisition, but it seems like there are certainly more than a few suitors for the Swiss-born Canadian, and one team in the mix is going to make things a lot more interesting.

Bruce Garrioch reported on May 30th that the Senators were high on McTavish and wanted to bring him in, and there's a pretty important connection between the two clubs which may give them a leg up:

Mason McTavish has five years left on a deal that will pay him $7 million U.S. per season; He is linked to the Senators because his father, Dale, was one of the first hires [Steve] Staios made when he took over in Ottawa in 2023.

Dale McTavish came in a little bit later (during the 2024-25 season) as a pro scout after spending the majority of his front office career as franchise owner, president, and GM of the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the CCHL; Mason also played for the Hamilton Bulldogs when Staios was president and GM.

Those are some serious personal connections and the fact that Staios runs the day to day operations of the Senators, and Mason's father is in the club already - it feels almost inevitable he's going to join them soon.

Pagnotta reports Toronto checked on McTavish and now their window is quickly closing

But that also makes things interesting from a divisional standpoint. The Maple Leafs were one of the teams who checked in on McTavish according to David Pagnotta, and it could set up a bitter back and forth for his services.

John Chayka wants to make a splash this summer and landing McTavish would certainly accomplish that, and he may feel like if the team wants to be competitive then they need to step things up against teams like Ottawa - who they will likely be fighting for a postseason spot with.

But if they want him then they are going to have to act quickly. Knowing that McTavish and the Senators have such a close connection would certainly make it easier for him to be dealt and with no trade protection until 2029; there's nothing holding Ottawa back from pouncing.

McTavish, 23, had only 41 points in 75 games this season but is coming off a very strong 2024-25 campaign where he had 22 goals and 52 points while winning over 50% of his face-offs and adding 95 hits; he currently has five more seasons at $7-million AAV.

That isn't that pricey for a young power 2C, and lines up with how much Toronto is paying Matthew Knies. But they also may need to outbid the Senators - who hold both their 2027 and 2028 first-round picks so it's a lot easier said than done.

McTavish isn't traded yet, and there's always a shot that Chayka and the Maple Leafs sneak in to pry him away. But their window to do so is getting tighter by the day and they can only squeeze themselves so much without feeling the pinch.

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