IRVINE, Calif. – Nearly halfway through the preseason and training camp schedule for the Anaheim Ducks, and it’s a spot to take a breath.

Two days of practice at Great Park Ice before an afternoon affair against the Los Angeles Kings in Bakersfield on Saturday afternoon, which will likely feature an AHL-heavy line-up for the Ducks, and a scheduled day off on Sunday.

With San Diego Gulls AHL camp set to start up early next week, these few days could be the last hurrah for the double groups in Anaheim camp, as the Ducks’ regular season roster comes into greater focus.

Here are some news and notes from Ducks training camp:

Mason McTavish Status Update

One week into training camp with three preseason games played and two weeks away from the season opener, the Ducks’ 22-year-old restricted free agent center remains at home in Ottawa and unsigned.

McTavish is one of just four remaining unsigned RFAs in the league and just one of three not in training camps. New Jersey’s Luke Hughes and Nashville’s Luke Evangelista also aren’t in camp, while Vegas’ Alexander Holtz is unsigned but participating in camp on a pro tryout.

After last weekend’s insider reports that Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek and McTavish’s agent Pat Morris were apart on both term and money, Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli reported this week that the sides had settled on a longer term but not close on the money. 

Last weekend, Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said McTavish’s side was looking for seven or eight years at $7-8 million, while the Ducks offered five years at $5.5 million.

Alex Killorn: “It’s hard for us. We’re not behind the scenes. We don’t know what’s going on. We obviously want Mason to be here. I’m sure everyone–I’m sure management wants him to be here as well. So, it’s just one of those things where he has no real rights in terms of arbitration and stuff, and this happens. I’ve been on teams where this happens, and we just hope it gets settled within the next week or whatever before the season starts. But yeah, it’s nothing that we can control, so we can’t really determine much. 

Frank Vatrano: “We obviously miss him. He’s a big part of our team. He’s going to be a big part of our team going forward, but at the end of the day, that’s between Mac, management and his agent. Obviously wish we could have him here now, but a lot of that stuff’s out of our control, and the only thing we can do is focus on the guys we have in this room. And when he comes back, we’ll welcome him with open arms.”

Ryan Strome: “Obviously, he wants to be here. I mean, you get a little bit of a FOMO (fear of missing out) just not being around the boys and all that stuff, but he was here for a few weeks before camp, which was awesome, and hung out with a bunch who were skating every day and stuff. I think he’s a guy that keeps himself in really good shape… I’m sure when he comes back, he’ll be ready to go. And he’s a big part of our team. I think he’ll need a quick catch up on the systems, and he’ll be ready to go. We’ll welcome him back wherever that happens, I think. I mean, it’s a cliche answer, but it’s a business, and there’s nothing we can do about it here, right?”

Ryan Poehling Proving His Quality

Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Kings was a game without many highlights–or lights at all, really–for Anaheim, but center Ryan Poehling continued to show why he was a nice little pick-up for the Ducks over the summer.

Poehling was the other side of the Trevor Zegras trade with Philadelphia, and while Poehling certainly doesn’t have Zegras’s pure talent and creativity, the 26-year-old brings speed and a drive that fits the perfect mold of a bottom-six center.

“I pride myself on a 200-foot game,” Poehling said at the morning skate on Wednesday. “Defense is something that’s very important to me, and something that can help this team win. We got a lot of skill guys on this team. A lot of guys that can put pucks in the back of the net. So, for myself, I think it’s just playing a 200-foot game and helping out offensively when I can.”

Quenneville praised Poehling’s reliability in the morning skate, and it was Poehling centering Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo that was the Ducks’ most effective line, mostly with energetic forechecking.

Poehling said it was a mix of emotions when he learned of his trade out of Philadelphia, which he called “a second home.” However, he has seemingly found his role on what could very well be the Ducks’ opening night fourth line, and Anaheim would be well served if it was. (Assuming the rest of the lines perform as they should, of course.)

“When you hear you’re going to a place like Anaheim, it’s pretty quick to get over (the trade),” Poehling said.”I’ve never lived out on the West Coast. I’ve played in Montreal, Pittsburgh, in Philly, and West Coast living’s been fun so far.”

Jansen Harkins Injury Update

An official timeline is expected to be announced soon on the upper-body injury bottom-six forward Jansen Harkins suffered last Sunday in Ontario.

Harkins left Sunday’s game against the Kings in the first period after a seemingly innocuous hit into the side boards. The 28-year-old Cleveland native appeared to injure his right arm and was seen in a sling leaving the arena.

At Wednesday’s morning skate, Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said Harkins was going to get “a better opinion” that night.

“We’ll get an idea how long,” Quenneville said, “but maybe not be as bad as we originally thought, but we’ll see.”

Harkins was again seen in a sling at the team facility on Thursday.

McTavish’s absence and Harkins’ injury leave two holes in what otherwise was beginning to look like a pretty set Ducks forward corps.

Without McTavish, Mikael Granlund is the current No. 2 center, and without Granlund either taking up the third-line center or second-line wing position, there is a winger slot open in the top six. Sam Colangelo proved quite productive in that role last season alongside McTavish, and Nikita Nesterenko showed some speed and scoring pop, as well as slotting in at center in recent practices.

Is this also the opportunity for top prospect Beckett Sennecke–ready or not–to crack the opening night roster?

Without Harkins, there is more of a door open to some of the San Diego Gulls to carve out their chance in a bottom-six role, especially if Colangelo or Nesterenko move up. Veteran tough guy Ross Johnston, who Quenneville said has had a good camp following a goal in Monday’s win over Utah, is likely the first man in.

After that, Tim Washe has gotten plenty of run this preseason after getting a quick two games in the NHL after his NCAA championship season with Western Michigan last season. Washe would be a Harkins analogue as a utility center, or if Anaheim looks for a more pure scoring winger, Yegor Sidorov has had a nice camp so far.

Alternatively, with the amount of goalie quality in camp, it’s possible Anaheim could keep just one extra forward and run with three goaltenders, as both back-up options–Petr Mrázek and Ville Husso–would be subject to waivers if sent down to San Diego.

Options abound, and the second cuts of camp are on the horizon for the San Diego Gulls.