Kirby Dach remains in play in Montreal, and Martin St-Louis now heads into the summer with one more middle-six option still on the board.
That changes the tone around Dach right away.
For weeks, plenty of people around the Canadiens expected a split, especially with his file drifting toward restricted free agency on July 1.
Instead, this looks more like a pause than a breakup.
The update, reported by Arpon Basu, makes it clear Montreal is not closing the door on Dach this summer.
That matters because the club still has a decision to make down the middle, and Dach has stayed in that conversation despite another injury-hit season.
Montreal keeps the risk low with Kirby Dach
According to Basu, there have been no contract talks yet with Dach's camp. But the Canadiens are still expected to protect their control of the player before the June 30 deadline.
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That's where the qualifying offer comes in, and it changes the entire read on this file.
"The Canadiens would not be opposed to making him a qualifying offer before June 30," he wrote.
The reported number is $4 million, and that's the part that keeps this move manageable for Kent Hughes. A 1-year term gives Montreal flexibility without locking itself into a bigger commitment.
That's the real play here.
The Canadiens are not betting on what Dach has already become. They're betting on what he still might become if he can finally stay on the ice.
His last season didn't give them much certainty. He put up 15 points in 37 games, then added 5 points in 19 playoff games.
Those numbers won't quiet the noise around his future, but they also won't erase the upside that made him such an intriguing piece in the first place.
And that's why this file still feels open.
A qualifying offer would keep Dach in the mix, but it would also preserve Hughes' options if Montreal pushes harder for a true second-line center later in the summer.
So no, this doesn't slam the door on trade talk.
It just tells you the Canadiens are not ready to walk away from Kirby Dach for nothing, not yet.
Should the Montreal Canadiens keep Kirby Dach for next season?
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