Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes is going to have some interesting decisions to make over the next few weeks as his teams gets back to full health, and it could lead to a potential trade.
At some point within the next couple of weeks, the Canadiens should have both Ivan Demidov and Florian Xhekaj back in the lineup, which will create a logjam at the forward position. While sending Florian Xhekaj down to the American Hockey League's Laval Rocket is always a possibility, I think the Canadiens would prefer to keep him in Montreal for the time being.
If that scenario happens, Kent Hughes will likely have to turn his attention to the trade market, but who could he part with in over to alleviate that aforementioned logjam?
Could Kirby Dach be the Next Montreal Canadiens Player Traded?
It goes without saying that Kirby Dach's time with the Montreal Canadiens organization hasn't gone as anyone was expected, for various different reasons.
The 25-year-old has dealt with numerous injuries during his tenure with the Canadiens that has caused him to miss 174 of a possible 337 games, with Dach suiting up for 163 since joining Montreal in the summer of 2022. Montreal, who was hosting the draft that year, acquired Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks for a first round pick and third round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Chicago went on to use that first round pick, 13th overall, to select Frank Nazar.
So far, Dach's most productive season with the Canadiens was his first year in Montreal. He appeared in 58, which is the most he's skated in in a single season for the Canadiens, registering a career-high 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists).
In his second season with the Canadiens, Dach suffered ACL and MCL tears following a hit from then-Chicago Blackhawks defenseman and former Montreal first rounder Jarred Tinordi. Dach was limited to just two games during the 2023-24 campaign before undergoing surgery.
Everyone was excited to see what Dach would bring to the table in his third season with the club, but his production was pretty inconsistent, despite given ample opportunity by Martin St. Louis to succeed. In February of 2025, after suffering a lower-body injury against the Ottawa Senators, it was revealed that Dach needed to have surgery on his knee.
That brings us to last season, which once again was injury-filled for Kirby Dach. The Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta native missed three games with lower-body injury in mid-October 2025, followed by a foot fracture a month later, which caused him to miss 31 games before returning in January. In mid-March, Dach sustained injury that kept him out of the lineup for 11 games.
Dach was healthy enough to suit up in all 19 games during Montreal's run to the Eastern Conference Final this past spring and at times during the postseason, showed glimpses of his potential. But again, that inconsistency kept creeping back in and while no one on the Canadiens' roster really had a good series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Dach had zero points in five games and averaged 9:50 of ice time per night.
At the end of the season, Dach became a restricted free agent and received a qualifying offer from the Canadiens ahead of the QO deadline on June 29th. There was some speculation about his future in Montreal over the summer, but the Canadiens ended up signing him to a one-year deal in the middle of July.
It's been an unimpressive start to the 2026-27 season for Dach, with one assist, six penalty minutes and is a minus-five in nine games. On top of that, he's averaging just 9:49 of ice time per game, the lowest of his tenure in Montreal, so far. To put that in perspective, during his first season with the Canadiens, Dach averaged 18:29 of ice time per night.
A fresh start could be necessary for Kirby Dach to get back on track and in my opinion, his time in Montreal will probably come to an end one way or another during the 2026-27 season. The Canadiens could hold onto him and use him in a part-time role, with stints in the press box, but for both the team and the player, it feels like moving on might be the best course of action here.
It's hard to pinpoint where Dach could end up, if the Canadiens decide to trade him. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers in his home province of Alberta seem like potential destinations for the former third overall pick. Beyond them, I'd throw the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken out there as possible landing spots for Kirby Dach.
We'll see what transpires on the trade market in relation to Kirby Dach between now and the deadline on Monday, March 1st.