Ducks' Joel Quenneville Addresses Mason MacTavish Decision After Game 2 Win
Mason McTavish was once the No. 3 overall pick of the Anaheim Ducks, and given the production he had throughout his junior career, expectations were that he would be a key piece of Anaheim's future.
His career in the NHL started well, as he had 137 points across his first three full NHL seasons, but with just 41 in the 2025-26 regular season, there was some disappointment among the organization and the fanbase. That, along with the breakout of Beckett Sennecke, Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson among others has some questioning his place in Anaheim and his future with the Ducks franchise.
Early in his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs run, McTavish has been solid with the Ducks advancing to the second round, putting up 1 goal and 4 points through seven games played. However, McTavish was a healthy scratch for Game 2 of their series with the Vegas Golden Knights following the Game 1 defeat, and while they won Game 2, this led to questions over McTavish's future.
Those questions have now been answered by head coach Joel Quenneville, and while he didn't confirm McTavish's status moving forward, he did reveal why the team made that decision.
"It's never easy. Never an easy decision", Quenneville said after Game 1. "It's not punishment, it's that we want to have more troops in this series. We think we're going to need everybody. That was basically the reason".
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— Patrick Present (@PatrickCPresent) May 8, 2026
"It's never easy. Never an easy decision," -Joel Quenneville
Between Vatrano and McTavish, the Ducks had $13 million in the press box for Game 2 vs VGK, leading to questions about their futures@TheHockeyNews | #FlyTogetherhttps://t.co/FfjiKYKWaU
While McTavish didn't have a fantastic regular season, he has been solid early in this post-season run, but after signing a long-term deal, this healthy scratch, even with Quenneville's reasoning will continue to raise questions about his future in Anaheim. Time will tell whether or not he's back in the lineup for Game 3, but regardless of what happens through the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he will be a player to keep an eye on over the summer, especially if he finds himself in the press box once more.
Related: Ducks' Cutter Gauthier Takes Shot At Former Head Coach
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 11:00 AM.