Edmonton Oilers have intense trade interest in Kirby Dach: report
The new NHL season hasn’t started, but the trade rumours have kicked off around the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton is still working on finalizing its roster ahead of Tuesday’s home opener against the Vancouver Canucks. The team cut two more players on Sunday, and they will need to make at least one more subtraction in order to comply with the NHL’s roster limits. But could a trade be on the horizon for the team as well?
GM Stan Bowman was busy working the phones this summer, trading Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks and acquiring goaltender Devon Levi from the Buffalo Sabres. Yet, a new report from NHL insider Frank Seravalli indicates that the Oilers have some intense interest in acquiring a certain Montreal Canadiens forward.
It sounds like Edmonton might be trying to reunite Colton Dach with his brother, Kirby Dach.
“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,” Seravalli wrote on Friday.
“Dach was GM Stan Bowman’s bet at No. 3 overall in 2019 in Chicago, and Bowman feels only a poor run of injury luck has kept Dach from reaching that potential.”
The Oilers initially acquired the younger of the Dach brothers, Colton, in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks ahead of last year’s trade deadline. The 23-year-old quickly made his presence known in the Oilers lineup and endeared himself to fans as a hardworking, physical player.
It seems like Colton has found his niche in Edmonton, which cannot be said for his brother in Montreal. Kirby has not lived up to the hype after being drafted third overall by the Blackhawks back in 2019.
He has struggled with injuries and has been relegated to a bottom-six player with the Canadiens, notching just eight goals and 15 points in 37 games last season. He was also subject to some controversy this summer after the Canadiens opted to turn his $4 million qualifying offer into a two-way deal, before eventually settling on a one-year deal with a $3.6 million cap hit.
Seravalli went on to say that the Calgary Flames are also interested in Dach, and that the Canadiens were holding firm with a high asking price that reportedly includes an NHL roster player.
It’d be a risky move for the Oilers, who already have quite a few bottom-six options at the moment. Perhaps Bowman believes that Dach can realize his potential if he can manage to stay healthy over the course of a full season.
There doesn’t appear to be any rush to get a deal done, but it’s a name to keep an eye on for the Oilers as the new season gets underway.