Kirby Dach is still in Canadiens trade discussions, and Renaud Lavoie put that on the record Tuesday morning on BPM Sports.
Dach is still at the heart of trade rumours, Lavoie said. Number 77 remains actively in those conversations.
This isn't the first time he's been attached to one since Kent Hughes brought him in.
Montreal handed him a one-year deal this summer. That's not the paper you give a man sitting in your long-term plans.
It carries a $3,362,500 cap hit. Real money for a forward who has never nailed down a role there.
Injuries and uneven stretches have shaped most of his time in that lineup. The opportunities came and the hold never did.
He dressed Monday in the 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa and put one shot on net.
Canadiens forward remains in trade discussions as Martin St-Louis faces a roster crunch
Xhekaj has had the camp of his life. He's been impossible to overlook since the first session.
He dropped the gloves with Marshall Rifai in Toronto on Saturday and walked out with 7 penalty minutes.
He also picked up an assist that same night while Montreal was killing a penalty.
He's been skating with Phillip Danault and Josh Anderson through camp sessions all week. Nobody runs a fourth line audition beside those two.
Somebody has to come off that roster before the season starts. Hughes doesn't have to move anybody, but a decent offer settles it fast.
Montreal also still carries three goaltenders and owes everybody an answer on that before opening night.
The Canadiens sit 3-0 through the exhibition schedule. Cole Caufield scored twice Monday and Lane Hutson added 2 assists.
Ottawa again on Saturday, then Toronto on September 29 to open the real thing.
Lavoie's word is that Hughes is listening. Listening is not shopping, and there's a meaningful gap between the two.
So who actually calls? Trading a forward with one year left works like selling a car with a warranty running out. Somebody wants it, just not at your number.
The kid keeps making the case in front of the coach. What Hughes does about it is a separate problem, and the calendar is doing him no favours.
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Should Kent Hughes trade Kirby Dach to make room for Florian Xhekaj?
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