The Montreal Canadiens have not finished looking for help down the middle entering the fifth day of free agency.
Montreal still has more than $14.2 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, and several restricted free agents yet to sign. Those include unrestricted free agent Patrik Laine, as well as restricted free agents Kirby Dach, Zack Bolduc, Arber Xhekaj and Brett Berard, all of whom need new deals before next season.
At the end of the day, whether all of those or only a few return to Montreal, the main roster need to be fixed this offseason hasn't changed for the Habs: finding a better second-line center to slot behind Nick Suzuki.
According to the latest reports, that search could eventually involve one of Montreal’s own forwards leaving in a potential sign-and-trade deal.
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The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported on Thursday's DFO Rundown Insider Edition that Dach’s name has come up in trade talks as the Canadiens explore ways to upgrade their forward corps, namely at center.
“The Montreal Canadiens continue to explore the trade market in hopes of bringing in another impact forward, preferably a center, to their top six,” Pagnotta said. “Kirby Dach’s name also has been circulating around the trade ranks. He’s an RFA. They have to figure out what they want to do … but his name has been circulating around the trade world.”
Dach entered restricted free agency after completing a four-year, $13.45 million contract on July 1. The Canadiens already gave him a $4 million qualifying offer, with Montreal having acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022.
Pagnotta indicated that Dach could be used in a package if Montreal finds the right center upgrade.
“With the Canadiens still looking to upgrade their 2C position, and they have been obviously engaged in talks with other teams of some of their other star players to see if they can bring in another star, add to this arsenal,” Pagnotta said. “Maybe Dach is a player that’s utilized in some type of package along those lines, but his name, as I said, has been circulating. We’ll see if it continues to as the summer moves along.”
Dach had 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 37 games last season, slotting in the Habs' bottom six. For now, Jake Evans is projected as the second-line center heading into the 2026-27 season.
