Kirby Dach is back in the trade rumor mill, and the Canadiens forward now has two Western Canadian clubs keeping an eye on him.
Frank Seravalli reported Edmonton's interest last Wednesday on Sportsnet. He added that Calgary has also kept tabs on the 25-year-old.
Then a fan-made mock trade started circulating online, shipping Dach, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third to Calgary for defenseman Zach Whitecloud.
It asked who says no. Montreal does, and it isn't close.
Start with the forward's own numbers. One assist through five games, with a minus-2 rating attached.
That's thin production for a $3.6 million cap hit, especially when Zachary Bolduc already has three goals on the same roster.
And yet, flipping him for Whitecloud plus picks would be a bad trade, full stop.
Zach Whitecloud is the wrong target for Kent Hughes
Whitecloud, 29, has yet to register a point this season. He's also a minus-6 on a team that hasn't won a game.
The Flames are 0-5-0 and have been outscored 27-8. Ryan Huska's group sits dead last in the league.
Paying two picks plus a roster forward to import a piece of that blue line is like paying a mover extra to haul off your couch and bring back a folding chair.
Montreal's defensive issues are real, though. The Canadiens have allowed 19 goals in five games.
But the back end already runs through Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson, who carries a $9.5 million cap hit. Whitecloud doesn't move that needle.
The bigger problem is up front. Ivan Demidov is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and isn't expected back until at least Oct. 31.
Pull Dach out now and Martin St-Louis loses another body from a forward group that's already missing pieces.
The crease adds to the strain. Samuel Montembeault is on IR until at least Oct. 20, leaving the net to Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes.
Edmonton's interest reads very differently. Mike Babcock's Oilers are 4-0-1 and scoring 5.0 goals per game, a team shopping from a position of strength.
Stan Bowman can afford to be patient. So can Kent Hughes, and that might be the most interesting part of this whole thing.
The Canadiens host Buffalo on Tuesday night, while the Flames visit Anaheim. Montreal and Calgary don't meet until Jan. 23 at the Bell Centre.
Every shift Dach takes against the Sabres will be watched from somewhere out west. Is Hughes selling, or just listening? Nobody has answered that yet.
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Should Kent Hughes trade Kirby Dach before Ivan Demidov returns from injury?
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