Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek is no stranger to difficult contract negotiations when it comes to RFAs under team control, especially if those players don’t hold arbitration rights.

Coming off of his ELC, 22-year-old center Mason McTavish has now missed two full days of a pivotal training camp preceding a season where the Ducks’ internal expectations are to make the 2026 NHL Playoffs.

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"Talks are ongoing, and we've made a lot of progress over the summer, but we're not there yet. So, until we get there, he won't be here,” Verbeek said when addressing the media on the opening day of training camp.

“I've known (McTavish's agent) Pat Morris for a long time, so we both understand each other and know how each other goes about their business, so it's just totally fine.

“We're closing in, I would say. But, like I said, we're not there yet. So, both sides have to agree to a deal.”

McTavish is seemingly a core member of the Ducks moving forward, but that hasn’t stopped his name from appearing on nearly every media outlet’s list of potential trade targets league-wide.

Premier NHL insider Elliotte Friedman may have thrown some cold water on some of that speculation on Friday morning when he took to his “32 Thoughts” podcast.

“Teams have called Verbeek, as you can imagine, about, ‘Hey, if you can't sign this guy and can't agree with this guy, we'd love to trade for him.’ And I think Verbeek has told everybody to get lost.”

Similar to McTavish now, two previous members of the expected future core of the franchise missed time in camp under a new head coach in the summer of 2023: Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, when Greg Cronin was first hired.

Both Zegras and Drysdale struggled to get up to speed in camp, initially struggled, got injured, and are now members of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Drysdale was traded in Jan. 2024 along with a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Cutter Gauthier. Immediately after Drysdale departed, Zegras’ name was in trade rumors for the next year and a half until he was shipped out for Ryan Poehling, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick.

Throughout the duration of Zegras’ name at the top of trade boards, when asked about it, Verbeek would reply with an answer suggesting he would do what he thought made the Ducks better or would give a “Hey, even Gretzky was traded” response. Nothing resembling a “get lost” report was to be found in media discussions surrounding Zegras during the previous 18 months.

Sentiments surrounding Verbeek and the organization suggest they seem committed to McTavish down the middle for the foreseeable future. Friedman stated that the two sides prefer or are receptive to a long-term agreement.

“I’ve heard it in several different places; no one has disputed it to me, but the Ducks do not want to do a bridge,” Friedman continued. “They want to do longer term here, and I do believe McTavish is receptive to that. I think he is willing to go long-term here.”

The holdup seems to be the discrepancy of desired AAV on said long-term deal, but the sooner the sides can agree, especially under a new coaching staff, the better it will be for all parties involved.

“It's disappointing that he's not here. Yeah, virtually a whole new coaching staff, and the group's really excited like I've never seen before, Verbeek said. “There’s a new system that's getting implemented. There's a lot of things to learn, and it takes a lot of reps to get it under each player's belt.

“When Mason gets here, he's got a lot of catching up to do. I've been through this scenario.

It's not easy to join mid-camp or miss (the) whole camp. Camp is a very important part of a player's preparedness to go into the season, and so from that aspect, it's disappointing.”

Quenneville and newly appointed assistant coach Jay Woodcroft may have to be delicate with getting McTavish up to speed when he eventually joins the team as not to put the team behind the eight ball or risk injury to the player in an effort for him to catch up to where his teammates are in camp.

“Well, I think the guys are all professional. You’ve got to take care of what you can control, and in McTavish’s case, we'd love to see him here, and we're understanding,” Quenneville added when interviewed by media. “These things happen. I'm looking forward to coaching him, and at some point, I expect that to happen.”

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