Insider: Oilers “Drooling” Over Opportunity to Acquire Canadiens Forward

Kirby Dach is facing an uphill battle to crack the Montreal Canadiens’ opening-night lineup, and the scrutiny on him this camp has been intense. The injury prone forward is battling for spots with the younger prospects on the team and there’s been talk that the Canadiens might be open to moving Dach and shedding his $3.6 million salary off the books.

Despite the noise, Dach says he’s focused on the fundamentals rather than the outside chatter. Dach insists he feels no additional pressure, telling reporters he feels he’s taken care of the details the coaching staff has emphasized and is building on that “each and every day.”

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All the while, one insider is reporting that at least two teams are monitoring that situation: the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.

According to Frank Seravalli of Casino.org, “Sources indicate two teams in particular — the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames — have kept close tabs on Dach’s status this month to see if they could wait out the Habs, who have held firm on a high asking price.” He adds, “Multiple teams were believed to have offered the Canadiens a second-round pick for Dach in June.”

Calgary and Edmonton hope the return ask decreases.

That might be the case if the Habs are looking for immediate roster help in return or to package Dach in a deal for a bigger name, such as Columbus winger Kirill Marchenko.

Oilers Reportedly “Drooling” Over Dach

Seravalli claims that Edmonton’s interest is particularly high. He writes, “The interest in Edmonton borders on drooling; the Oilers are intent on acquiring Dach at some point, whether that’s before the season starts, at the March 1 trade deadline, or next summer as a free agent.”

He adds that the reason most people assume — to reunite the Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, native with his younger brother, Colton, on their hometown team — is not why. Instead, Dach is a player GM Stan Bowman knows well. Bowman drafted Kirby Dach at No. 3 overall in 2019 in Chicago, and believes his poor run of injury luck has kept Dach from reaching far greater heights.

The Canadiens aren’t expected to dump Dach. However, Dach may be ready to move on. It was pointed out that the Canadiens sent “a shot across the bow this summer by making his $4 million qualifying offer a two-way deal, a ploy to negotiate down from that figure—one of the few instances in the salary cap era of a team taking that tack with a bona fide NHL player. The message was received. And the clock is ticking.”

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Canadiens, Maple Leafs & Oilers’ Cup Finalist?