The latest Kirby Dach buzz has the Edmonton Oilers back in the conversation, but the most important thing here is what still isn’t known.
A Thursday morning claim from the X account Hockeyy Insider said Montreal had been lining up a move that would have sent Dach to a Western Conference team, only to pull back after Ivan Demidov’s injury changed the picture. The account also suggested the Canadiens could revisit talks within the next month.
That’s the rumor. It is not confirmed reporting, and the source has a questionable track record.
Still, the idea isn’t out of nowhere. Edmonton’s interest in Dach has been out there before, and the fit is easy to see on paper.
At 6-foot-4, the 25-year-old gives a team size, flexibility and some offensive upside. He can play down the middle and can also help on the wing, which is part of why he keeps popping up in trade chatter.
The problem, of course, is the rest of the package. Dach’s injuries and uneven scoring make him a tricky bet, especially for a team trying to decide how much to give up. He has topped 30 points only once in his NHL career, which leaves a real question about what kind of role he can reliably handle long term.
Montreal, meanwhile, has its own reasons to think about moving him if it wants to reshape its forward group. But Demidov’s lower-body injury, which the Canadiens announced Tuesday will keep him out two to four weeks, could easily make them pause. Losing one of their more promising offensive pieces would naturally make them more cautious about subtracting another forward.
Even so, there’s a big gap between a plausible scenario and an actual deal falling apart. There has been no credible confirmation that Montreal backed out of an agreement involving Dach.
What is known is that Edmonton has been linked to him. Frank Seravalli reported in September that the Oilers and Calgary Flames were monitoring Dach, and Elliotte Friedman later tied Edmonton’s search for a right-shot centre to the Canadiens forward.
The Oilers also don’t exactly need to rush. They’re 3-0-1 and have won three straight despite missing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Matt Savoie. That kind of start buys a team breathing room.
Edmonton already made one move to shore up the group, landing Filip Hållander from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Spencer Stastney on Wednesday. That came after Friedman reported the Oilers were looking at a lateral trade involving one of their depth defencemen.
So if Bowman is thinking about Dach, patience might be the smarter play. Once Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman and Savoie are back, Edmonton will have a better read on what it actually needs.
Dach is still a name worth watching, especially with Bowman’s past connection to him in Chicago. But his injury history makes him a risky add, and the Oilers have enough time to sort that out.
For now, the alleged last-minute collapse belongs in the rumor pile. It may be believable.
It is not proven. And with Edmonton winning anyway, there’s no obvious reason for Bowman to force the issue.
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