Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes got another piece of business done on Thursday afternoon and will no longer need to go through the arbitration process with forward Kirby Dach, who became a restricted free agent earlier this month.
Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens announced that they've agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth $3.6 million with Kirby Dach for the 2026-27 season. At the expiry of this contract, Kirby Dach will become an unrestricted free agent.
An interesting caveat to this deal is that it's $400,000 less than his $4 million qualifying offer, but there's a good reason for that. According to Marco D'Amico of RG.org, Dach took less than his qualifying offer because the contract he signed on Thursday is a one-way deal. If he had accepted his qualifying offer, it would've been a two-way contract.
The reason why Kirby Dach took less than his qualifying offer is because this is a one-way deal.
— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) July 16, 2026
His qualifying offer was a two-way deal due to having played less than 60 games last season and 180 games over the last three seasons.
Where does Kirby Dach fit into Montreal's lineup to start 2026-27 season?
Now that Dach is under contract for the 2026-27 season, where exactly does he fit in to Montreal's lineup come opening night on September 29th against the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Taking a look at who is signed already for the season ahead and with Zachary Bolduc still needing a contract, there's plenty of options for where Kirby Dach could slot in right out of the gate.
As of today, July 17th, the Canadiens still haven't gone out and got that second line centerman they've been looking for for over a year now. While you can never say never, especially with Kent Hughes at the helm, I'd be shocked if they were to acquire a 2C before training camp in September. With that being said, if Kirby Dach is healthy to start the season, you could certainly make the argument to slot him in on the second line between Alex Newhook and Ivan Demidov.
A shorter preseason doesn't give the Canadiens much runway to test potential lineups out either, so we could see plenty of line juggling throughout the first couple weeks of the regular season. Jake Evans is firmly in the mix, as is Oliver Kapanen, who played quite well in that role alongside Ivan Demidov last season.
While Dach did have the highest faceoff percentage of his career last season, albeit being just 41.1, the most logical place for him would be on the wing, potentially on the third line. The reason for that is not just due to his faceoff percentage, but also the logjam down the middle. Captain Nick Suzuki, as always, will occupy the first line center role, with Jake Evans, Oliver Kapanen and Phillip Danault playing behind him, not necessarily in that order.
Does Kirby Dach finish the 2026-27 season with the Montreal Canadiens?
Not to get too negative before the season even begins, but there's also a realistic chance that Kirby Dach doesn't finish the 2026-27 season with the Montreal Canadiens, especially with who's coming in the pipeline and his unrestricted free agent status.
At some point in late-March to mid-April, more likely the latter based on how his team is shaping up for next season, the Montreal Canadiens will have one of their top prospects, Michael Hage, at their disposal. There's also a decent chance that Alexander Zharovsky joins the club at some point in the spring, too.
Considering those factors above, again if he's healthy, Kirby Dach could be a trade chip for General Manager Kent Hughes to use ahead of the deadline, which is reportedly slated for Monday, March 8th at 3 pm ET.
While trading Dach is certainly a possibility, depending on how his season goes and where the Canadiens are in the standings, everyone is hoping that he can get off on the right foot to start the 2026-27 campaign, stay healthy and contribute towards what the club is hoping will be a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.