Canadiens To Get Trade Interest in Kirby Dach; 1 Team Linked

Kent Hughes was noncommittal when asked about Kirby Dach at his end-of-season press conference.

TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie has filled in some of the blanks.

Per Lavoie, the Montreal Canadiens are expected to issue Dach a qualifying offer this summer to retain his rights as a restricted free agent, but that offer does not mean he stays in Montreal.

Multiple analysts, including Lavoie and former NHLer Georges Laraque, have pointed to the Edmonton Oilers as the most natural trade destination if Hughes decides to move the 25-year-old center.

Why This Conversation Is Happening

Dach was acquired at the 2022 draft in a three-way deal that sent Alexander Romanov to the Islanders and the 13th overall pick and 66th overall pick to Chicago.

The returns have been complicated by a brutal injury history.

He has dealt with a torn ACL, wrist issues, and various other setbacks since arriving in Montreal that have prevented him from playing a full season and establishing the consistent top-six presence Hughes envisioned when he constructed the deal.

In 45 games this season, he recorded 12 points and was used primarily in a bottom-six role, with some playoff appearances mixed into a postseason run that took the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Finals.

A defensive mistake in Game 2 against Tampa Bay led directly to an overtime loss and prompted harsh online criticism that drove him to deactivate his Instagram account.

The Dach decision might be the most complicated name on Montreal's trade candidate list because of this split profile. 

He's got real NHL potential when healthy, but there's a lot of organizational uncertainty about whether the healthy version arrives often enough to justify the next contract.

The Edmonton Angle

Dach grew up in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, just outside Edmonton, making a return home an emotionally compelling storyline alongside any hockey logic.

Also, the Oilers acquired his younger brother Colton Dach over the past several months, creating the possibility of a family reunion that would carry obvious appeal.

Stan Bowman's offseason needs include forward depth alongside McDavid and Draisaitl, and a 6-foot-4 center with playmaking ability and buy-low value on a modified qualifying offer would fit an organizational model that has historically valued size and skill in the middle of the ice.

The return package remains speculative, but the framework most often discussed involves the Oilers sending a prospect and a pick back to Montreal in exchange for Dach, giving Hughes an asset that he can direct toward the center market rather than keeping a player whose health and role in the organization have become very uncertain.

Since arriving in Montreal, the 25-year-old has recorded 32 goals and 77 total points across 154 games played.

Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images