2. Kirby Dach
Kirby Dach just needs lower expectations. The former third-overall pick has now had two places that expected him to be a first-line center. He’s shown that’s not what he is, and he needs to go to a place that expects him to be a bottom-six center. Dach could come to the Devils and play on the fourth line, adding center depth, making it seem like this team is so much better at the position than they actually are, and it would really help a position that was in dire straits after the Lazar injury.
Dach is overpaid for what the Devils would hope to get from him, so they’d need the Canadiens to eat some of his contract. That complicates the return, as Kent Hughes will want more. How much would the Devils be willing to give for a guy who was once very highly regarded, is only 23 years old, and still could be something in this league?
We saw what the Kaapo Kakko trade returned, but that’s with no retained money. Could the Devils make this work with two draft picks, or would the Canadiens accept one of the Devils three second-round picks? Could the Devils even make this work under the cap without giving up someone like Nathan Bastian? It definitely couldn’t work now.
Still, Dach is a player that’s worth figuring out. If they put him as a long-term third/fourth-line center, that would take all the pressure off of him, and it could allow him to grow into a role that makes more sense for his skillset.