Now that the NHL season is officially underway, there are still remnants of trade rumors swirling across the league.
There’s no doubt that the Edmonton Oilers have one of the most dynamic offensive attacks in the entire National Hockey League, but NHL insider Elliotte Friedman still believes that Edmonton is looking for a ‘right-shot center’, and one potential name available could be Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach.
Dach has been the center of trade speculation over recent weeks due to the Canadiens not inking him to a new contract.
Should the Oilers Pursue Canadiens’ Kirby Dach?
In a recent rumors piece for Bleacher Report, writer Joe Yerdon named Kirby Dach as one of 6 players likely to be traded, and in his excerpt about Dach, the Edmonton Oilers are mentioned:
“Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli shared recently that Edmonton and Calgary [Flames] have snooped around Dach, who is in the final year of his contract this season. Edmonton could use some depth at forward, and Calgary could use some experienced players, period. But does that mean Dach is immediately available? Not exactly, although the Canadiens have a ton of depth to work with.”
Kirby Dach is a name that the Oilers should think about pursuing.
However, fans may want the front office to target a goaltender after the terrible display in front of the net in the Oilers’ first two contests.
Stan Bowman drafted Dach third overall with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019 and is now in charge of running the Oilers, so there’s some clear familiarity there.
So, long story short, yes, Kirby Dach would be a good fit in Edmonton, and the Oilers front office may be more willing to bend on trade terms due to the familiarity with the player, who can be a difference maker on Edmonton’s 2nd or 3rd lines.
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Looking At Kirby Dach’s NHL Career
Kirby Dach has played in parts of eight NHL seasons. He is still just 25 years old.
Across 307 total games played (with the Canadiens and Blackhawks), Dach has 137 points.
He’s spent the last five seasons with the Montreal Canadiens as a strong depth piece.
Dach’s cap hit is $3.6 million because he is still an arbitration-level player.
The rumors surrounding the Oilers are likely to stay persistent, especially regarding adding another goaltender.
However, adding a proven forward like Dach could also pay dividends, and wouldn’t cost as much capital as, let’s say, acquiring Connor Hellebuyck.
Oilers Trade Pitch Lands Canadiens’ $3.6 Million Forward