Revisiting the Kirby Dach Trade Tree: A Gamble That Didn’t Pay Off – The Hockey Writers – Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens’ rebuild under Kent Hughes has featured plenty of aggressive moves, and many of them have aged quite well. However, not every gamble is going to work out as planned. One of Hughes’ biggest early bets came at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft when he moved Alexander Romanov to acquire Kirby Dach. At the time, the Canadiens were betting on the upside of a former third-overall pick who appeared to need a change of scenery. A couple of years later, injuries and inconsistency have prevented Dach from becoming the player Montreal envisioned.

Looking back at the entire trade tree also makes the outcome more difficult to swallow, especially considering what the assets Montreal moved eventually became.

The Trade Tree

The Dach trade technically began with a separate deal involving the New York Islanders. On July 7, 2022, the Canadiens traded defenseman Alexander Romanov and a 2022 fourth-round pick to the Islanders in exchange for the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Montreal didn’t hold onto that selection for very long.

The Canadiens then flipped the 13th overall pick, along with a 2022 third-round selection, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Dach. Essentially, Montreal turned Romanov and additional draft capital into Dach. It was an aggressive move from Hughes, but one that made plenty of sense considering where the Canadiens were in their rebuild.

Romanov had already established himself as an NHL defenseman, but Montreal had several young blueliners coming through the system. Dach, meanwhile, was only 21 and had been selected third overall by Chicago three years earlier. Instead of using the 13th pick on another prospect who could take years to develop, Hughes gambled on a young NHL player whose potential remained significant.

What the Trade Became

Unfortunately, Dach has never been able to turn those flashes of potential into consistent production. There have been stretches where he has looked like exactly what Montreal hoped it was acquiring. His combination of size, skill and puck protection made him an intriguing option down the middle or on the wing. At his best, it wasn’t difficult to imagine Dach developing into an important top-six forward for the Canadiens.

The problem has been keeping him on the ice. Constant injuries have dramatically slowed his development and changed the trajectory of his career. Instead of becoming one of Montreal’s long-term offensive building blocks, Dach has spent much of his Canadiens tenure trying to regain momentum following another absence.

That becomes even more frustrating when looking at what Montreal surrendered. Romanov remains a solid NHL defenseman for the Islanders and has continued to handle top-four minutes. He might not have developed into a star, but he became a reliable piece of New York’s blue line.

Then there is what happened with the 13th overall selection. Chicago used the pick acquired from Montreal to select Frank Nazar. Now 22 years old, Nazar is becoming an important part of the Blackhawks’ young core. He recorded 41 points in 66 games during the 2025-26 season and appears to have plenty of room left to grow.

That doesn’t mean Montreal necessarily would have drafted Nazar had it kept the pick. Draft-day trades can’t simply be evaluated by assuming the original team would have selected the exact same player. Still, it shows the value Montreal surrendered to take its shot on Dach.

A Gamble That Didn’t Pay Off

It’s easy to criticize the Dach trade with the benefit of hindsight, but the process behind the move wasn’t necessarily bad. In the end, Montreal essentially moved Romanov, a third-round pick while also exchanging a fourth-rounder to take a chance on Dach. For a rebuilding organization, betting on a 21-year-old former third-overall pick who still had considerable upside was a reasonable gamble.

The Canadiens also had organizational depth on defense, making Romanov somewhat expendable. If Dach had remained healthy and developed into a legitimate top-six center, the trade could have looked brilliant.

Instead, injuries changed everything. That’s ultimately what makes the trade disappointing rather than necessarily a terrible decision from Hughes. Montreal identified a talented young player whose value had dropped and attempted to unlock something Chicago couldn’t. That’s exactly the type of move rebuilding teams should occasionally be willing to make.

This one simply didn’t work. Not every gamble pays off. Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the Dach trade is increasingly looking like one of Hughes’ early swings that missed.