Anaheim Ducks Offseason Rumor Roundup: 6/26/26
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Patrick PresentFri, June 26, 2026 at 2:37 PM UTC·5 min readIt’s Draft Day in the NHL, and this week has lived up to promises of years past from an entertainment standpoint. Tuesday was one of the most impactful landscape shakeup days in the history of the NHL, with four major trades finalized and the NHL coaching carousel finally coming to a stop for the time being.
The Anaheim Ducks didn’t get in on the week’s trade action, but were able to re-sign young right-shot defenseman Ian Moore to a two-year, $1.15 million AAV contract. The Mason McTavish trade saga seems to be on the verge of a conclusion, but until then, here’s what some of the top NHL insiders have been reporting or speculating on when it comes to the Ducks this offseason.
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Mason McTavish
A McTavish trade seems imminent at this point in time. If a deal does go through, he’ll be the third straight former top-ten pick to take contract negotiations into a training camp following the expiration of his ELC, only to be eventually traded before that contract concluded.
Anthony Di Marco from dailyfaceoff.com reported earlier in the week that the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers have either called or have been keeping tabs on McTavish’s availability.
“Among the teams who have called on McTavish are the Calgary Flames, Daily Faceoff was told. According to a team source, the Flames don’t feel like they have what the Ducks are looking for in exchange for McTavish; the same source said that Verbeek is looking to make ‘hockey deals,’” Di Marco reported in his column.
“When speaking with an Eastern Conference executive, DFO was told McTavish’s value is not as high across the league as it was a season ago,” He continued
“One team who is believed to be keeping tabs on McTavish is the Philadelphia Flyers, who have been on the lookout to add a center all offseason. Despite McTavish playing on the wing for large stretches of last season, the Flyers believe he is a true center, according to a team source.”
It now seems the Ducks are deciding between two offers: one from the St. Louis Blues and one from the New York Rangers. Frank Seravalli first reported the Rangers’ involvement on Thursday evening, followed by TSN’s Pierre LeBrun and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reporting that another offer was on the table from the Blues.
SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman furthered the reporting late Thursday night on his “32 Thoughts” podcast, when he hinted at potential pieces from each organization.
AdvertisementAdvertisement“I think the Blues, one of the key parts of their offer, is the 11th overall pick, and the Rangers, it’s a player, I believe,” Friedman said. “I don’t want to guess the name of the player. I’m not sure”
Friedman went on to report Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek’s desire for win-now pieces as opposed to draft picks.
“I don’t think the Ducks want picks. I think they want someone that can help them now,” Friedman continued/ “They’re in win-now mode. They want someone that can help them now. He (Verbeek) thinks he takes his time. So, we’re on his timetable, not ours. If I’m right about the St. Louis pick, the 11th overall pick, being the key part of their offer, I don’t think it’s necessarily something he wants to keep. So, if he does take the Blues offer, one of the things I think here, he might be saying, ‘Okay, I have the 11th pick, what can I do with it?’”
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen has connected McTavish to the Ottawa Senators throughout this process, reporting the organization’s interest. It appears now that the price has become too rich for the Sens. Friedman confirmed Garrioch’s report.
“I don’t believe the Senators are in on McTavish. The asking price has gone up,” Garrioch reported on Twitter.
“Ottawa, I heard, was in this. It was believed Ottawa had a lot of interest in Mason McTavish,” Friedman said. “There are a lot of ties in there. I think at the end of it, Verbeek liked what was being offered more from St. Louis and the Rangers.”
Defensemen
Last week, defenseman John Carlson relayed his intention to forgo re-signing with the Ducks after the organization traded for him at the 2026 trade deadline. It seems like the Tampa Bay Lightning are the frontrunners for Carlson, and fellow right-shot blueliners Radko Gudas and Jacob Trouba will likely join him in free agency.
AdvertisementAdvertisement“Anaheim’s D, Carlson, is now going to market. I think a lot of people wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up in Tampa Bay,” Friedman said. “Trouba, I think, is going to market, and it looks like Gudas is too. There was some talk about Gudas in Toronto. But I don’t think that’s going to be happening.”
Seravalli reported on Twitter that the Ducks are hoping to trade Carlson’s signing rights for a draft pick before the veteran defenseman hits the market.
“Preference of the Ducks is to move the rights to John Carlson in exchange for a pick, but it sounds like the handful of teams interested in jumping the queue for the top free agent D have irons in the fire at the moment,” Seravalli tweeted.
Finally, the Ducks have been connected to Blues defenseman Colton Parayko since the trade deadline, but Seravalli reported via Twitter that the Blues have removed Parayko from the trade block and are no longer taking calls on him.
“One player coming off the trade targets board today is Colton Parayko. The Blues have told inquiring teams Parayko is unavailable, same answer for Robert Thomas,” Seravalli said.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
