Kirby Dach is heading into a season that could define where his future lands.
The Canadiens forward avoided an arbitration hearing earlier this summer by agreeing to a one-year, $3.6 million deal with Montreal, and that short-term contract tells the story. This is a big year for the 25-year-old, plain and simple.
Dach’s recent stretch has been a grind. Injuries have kept interrupting his momentum over the last few seasons, and that pattern showed up again in the 2025-26 campaign. He managed only 37 games for the Canadiens, finishing with eight goals and 15 points.
That was a step back from the best hockey he’s shown in Montreal. During the 2022-23 season, Dach played 58 games and set career highs with 14 goals, 24 assists, and 38 points.
Now he gets a fresh start, but there’s no mistaking the pressure attached to it. The 2019 third-overall pick is entering the season as a pending unrestricted free agent, which makes this one of those years where performance and durability matter just as much as production.
If Dach can stay on the ice and rediscover the level he flashed two seasons ago, it would go a long way toward strengthening his case for a strong next contract. That could come through an extension with the Habs as soon as January 1, or it could mean heading into the free agent market next summer.
Either way, the stakes are clear. The 2026-27 season is shaping up as a make-or-break test for Kirby Dach.
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For the Canadiens, that matters because the usual list of alternatives is getting shorter by the day, and the market is not exactly overflowing with teams ready to make a serious push. Montreal has long been the kind of club that would at least check in on a player of Larkins stature, but the obstacles around the rest of the league have only sharpened the possibility that this story drags on longer than anyone expected. Whether that creates a real opening for the Canadiens or just another round of speculation is still to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
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For Montreal, the interest is easy to understand. Larkin is the kind of center who would fit into what the Canadiens are trying to build, and the uncertainty around Detroit only adds another layer to a rumor mill that is already moving fast. The problem is that none of it matters much unless the situation gets past the earliest hurdle, and for now there is still a key piece of approval missing from the player side. [Read more 🡒]
Mason Lohrei Has One Clear Chance To Secure His Bruins Future
The Canadiens have been floated in a handful of notable rumor cycles lately, but the most intriguing one for Montreal fans is the idea of a long-term center fix. Dylan Larkin has been mentioned as a possible trade target, which tells you where the market is headed around impact players this time of year. For Montreal, it is the kind of speculation that naturally gets tied to roster-building, because any serious upgrade down the middle would reshape how the rest of the lineup is deployed.
There is one obvious catch, and it keeps the discussion in the realm of theory for now. Larkin is not presently open to waiving his no-trade clause for Montreal, which leaves the Canadiens watching from a distance rather than preparing a fit. Still, the fact that their name is in the conversation is a reminder of how aggressive the front office may want to be if a real opportunity ever surfaces. [Read more 🡒]